OF 


THE  NARRATIYE  OF  A  JAPANESE. 


THE 


NARRATIVE 


OF   A 


JAPANESE;    . 

What  he  }ias  seen  and  the  people  he  Jias  met  in  tJie 
course  of  the  last  forty  years. 


BY 


JOSEPH  HECO. 


JAMES  MURDOCH,  M.A. 


VOL.    I. 

(FROM  THE  TIME  OF  HIS  BEING  CASTAWAY  IN   1850 
DOWN  TO  THE  FIGHT  OF  SHIMONOSEKI.) 


PRJNTKO  BY  TER  YOKOHAMA  PRINTING  .t  PUBLISHING  Co.,  Li-'o. 


Stack 

Annex 

C7T 


VVHA5 
v.\   *~ 

INTRODUCTION. 


Some  time  in  the  spring  of  1892,  I  was  hand- 
ed eight  thin  but  closely-written  note-books,  with  a 
request  that  I  should  extract  from  them  all  that 
was  of  more  than  purely  personal  interest,  and  if 
I  deemed  the  excerpts  so  made  worthy  of  being 
made  public,  to  see  to  the  publication  of  the  same. 
The  first  two  of  these  volumes  contained  all  that 
the  writer  could  recall  of  his  childhood  in  old 
Japan,  of  his  being  cast-away  and  picked  up  and 
taken  to  America,  and  of  what  befell  him  there. 
The  remaining  six  formed  a  portion  of  the  regular 
diary  which  Mr.  Heco  has  kept  ever  since  the 
time  he  began  to  write  English.  Dealing  as  they 
do  with  such  stirring  themes  as  the  opening  of 
the  Treaty  Ports,  and  life  in  them  at  a  time  when 
all  the  pomp  and  splendour  of  the  old  feudal  Japan 
which  has  now  so  utterly  passed  away  were  daily 
before  men's  eyes,  at  a  time  when  it  was  not  good 
for  folks  to  walk  abroad  at  night  without  an  armed 
guard,  at  a  time  when  the  social  and  political  fabric 
of  centuries  was  surely  tottering  to  its  fall,  the 
pages  of  these  note-books  are  of  more  than  mere 
passing  interest.  From  his  official  position — Inter- 


ii  INTRODUCTION. 

preter  to  the  U.  S.  Cohsulate — and  from  the  feet 
that  in  those  early  years  he  was.  almost  the  only 
Japanese  who  spoke  English,  Mr.  Heco  had  un- 
usual opportunities  of  seeing  and  hearing  things 
from  two  stand-points,  from  the  native  as  well  as 
the  foreign;  opportunities  of  which  he  seems  to 
have  availed  himself  with  no  mean  measure  of 
shrewdness. 

Then  there  are  visits  to  the  U.  S.  in  the 
troublous  times  of  the  Great  War,  and  LINCOLN 
and,  SEWARD,  and  SUMNER,  and  BROOKE  of  Merrimac 
lame  appear  to  play  their  part  in  the  story.  Later, 
on  Mr.  Heco's  return  to  Japan,  we  have  a  faithful 
record  of  how  one  feels  on  shipboard  when  the 
round  shot  are  whizzing  in  the  rigging,  for  the  In- 
terpreter of  the  Consulate  was  on  board  the  Wyom- 
ing when  McDougal  ran  amuck  with  such  deadly- 
effect  among  the  Choshiu  batteries  and  men-of-war 
at  Shimonoseki  in  1863.  It  is  at  this  point  that 
Volume  I.  comes  to  a  conclusion.  The  second  part 
of  the  book  will  be  found  of  even  greater  interest.  It 
will  deal  with  the  tortuous  plots  and  intrigues  that 
preluded  the  overthrow  of  the  Tokugawa  despo- 
tism, with  the  problems  that  the  Revolution  of  '68 
set,  and  with  the  solutions  that  men  like  KIDO, 
OKUBO,  ITO  and  INOUYE  found  for  them. 

Nothing  in  the  sense  of  Mr.  Heeo's  diary  has 
been  changed  in  the  setting  forth  of  his  story.  I  have 


INTRODUCTION.  in 

confined  myself  to  condensing  it,  and  to  weaving 
as  far  as  possible  the  disconnected  items  into  a 
continuous  narrative.  For  the  first  few  chapters 
of  Vol.  I.  my  responsibility  ends  with  cutting  out  a 
quantity  of  irrelevant  details,  and  with  here  and 
there  recasting  a  paragraph.  These  chapters  had 
been  already  prepared  for  publication  when  I  took 
the  matter  in  hand. 

JAMES  MURDOCH. 


My  Birth  Plate. 


I. 

I  was  born  in  the  Island  Empire  of  Japan,  in 
the  village  of  Komiya  in  the  Province  of  Harima  in 
the  Sanyodo  on  the  shore  of  the  Harima  Nada. 
The  Harima  Nada  is  the  easternmost  reach  of  the 
famous  Inland  Sea,  that  beautiful  land-locked  stretch 
of  water  which  separates  the  main  island  from  the 
smaller  ones  of  Shikoku  and  Kiushiu. 

At  the  time  of  my  birth  in  1837,  Komiya  was 
a  good-sized  village  of  some  four  or  five  hundred 
houses,  with  from  2,000  to  2,500  inhabitants;  it  has 
now  dwindled  to  about  one-seventh  of  its  former 
size  and  importance.  The  majority  of  its  people 
were  farmers ;  the  remainder  were  fishermen,  sailors 
and  traders. 

My  father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer.  He  died 
some  twelve  months  after  I  was  born,  and  my 
mother  a  few  years  after  his  death  re-married  into 
a  family  in  the  adjoining  town  of  Hamada.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  place  were  also  principally 


THE   NARRATIVE" 


farmers  and  fishermen,  although  a  few  were  sea- 
faring men,  since  that  village  too  was  on  the  shore. 

My  parents  had  two  sons,  of  whom  I  was  the 
younger.  From  his  youth  my  brother  had  always 
been  very  fond  of  roving,  and  at  last  my  step-father 
seeing  the  impossibility  of  keeping  the  boy  quietly 
at  home,  apprenticed  him  at  the  age  of  16  to  his 
uncle,  the  captain  of  a  large  junk  trading  between 
Osaka  and  Yedo.  The  lad  was  quick  to  master 
his  work,  and  in  a  few  years'  time  he  had  worked 
himself  up  to  be  second  officer  on  his  uncle's 
vessel. 

All  this  time  I  remained  quietly  at  home,  and 
went  to  school.  But  I  am  afraid  there  was  a  good 
deal  of  the  rover  in  my  disposition  too.  When- 
ever my  brother  came  home  he  used  to  deliver 
himself  of  the  story  of  his  travels  to  the  family  and 
to  our  neighbours.  He  would  tell  of  his  voyages 
to.  different  places,  and  of  the  adventures  that  had 
befallen  him,  perhaps  sometimes  touching  up  his 
pictures  a  trifle  with  a  little  extra  colour  as  travel- 
lers are  wont  to  do. 

He  would  repeat  to  us  the  strange  stories  he 
used  to  hear  from  the  still  stranger  people  he  had 
met — people  who  had  ways  so  different  from  our 
own  (my  townsmen),  for  in  these  days  the -means  of 
communication  and  travel  were  very  different  from 
the  railways,  steamers,  and  telegraphs  of  to-day, 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


and  the  simple  village-folk  seldom  went  further 
from  their  own  homes  than  perhaps  a  distance  of 
twenty  or  thirty  miles,  so  that  Nagasaki  was  as  far 
from  us  then  comparatively  speaking  as  was  Moscow 
from- London  at  that  same  date.  My  brother's  stories 
soon  made  him  quite  famous,  and  the  courage  dis- 
played by  one  so  young  in  daring  forth  to  such 
distant  places  earned  for  him  the  highest  praise. 
My  brother's  talk  and  the  praise  bestowed  upon 
him  led  me  to  think  that  if  I  too  could  travel, 
I  might  be  received  in  the  same  way  and  made 
as  much  of  by  the  villagers ; — besides,  I  thought 
often  and  wistfully  of  the  different  places  I  could 
see  and  the  novel  experiences  I  could  have. 
Thus  the  first  thought  of  rambling  crept  into 
my  mind,  and  from  that  moment  my  desire  to 
leave  home  never  ceased.  Yet  I  little  thought  of 
ever  seeing  anything  beyond  my  own  country; 
indeed,  I  don't  -suppose  that  at  the  time  I  even 
dreamt  of  the  existence  of  other  lands,  or  if  I  did, 
it  was  to  pity  the  Barbarians  who,  I  may  have 
heard,  came  each  year  or  so  to  Nagasaki  to  trade 
with  us. 

One  day,  I  bit  by  bit  disclosed  to  my  mother  my 
wish  to  go  to  sea.  She  asked  me,  as  how  many 
mothers  have  done  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  what 
reason  I  had  for  quitting  a  comfortable  home  and 
going  to  sea,  where  I  was  sure  to  be  miserable,  when 


THE    NARRATIVE 


I  might  be  happy  and  at  my  ease  on  shore.  She  also 
used  many  other  arguments  to  dissuade  me  from 
leaving  her  and  our  home.  I  explained  to  her  that 
my  brother  seemed  to  have  visited  many  new  places, 
and  to  have  seen  many  strange  things  without  much 
effort,  and  I  said  that  if  I  followed  his  occupation, 
I  too  would  have  the  same  chance  of  visiting  dif- 
ferent places  and  seeing  wonderful  things. 

My  mother  said ;  "I  have  no  objection  to  your 
going  to  see  new  places  and  novel  things,  but  you 
know  that  you  are  too  young  to  go  far  away  from 
home,  Resides,  sea  life  is  not  so  very  pleasant, 
nor  is  it  considered  so  very  respectable,  unless 
one  works  up  to  be  a  Captain,  or  at  least  an  officer. 
For  youngsters  have  to  go  through  a  long  and 
generally  a  very  disagreeable  apprenticeship.  If 
I  were  to  let  you  go  to  sea,  and  there  should  be 
bad  weather,  I  would  be  very  anxious  for  you  as 
well  as  for  your  brother,  and  your  step-father.  It 
is  enough  for  me  to  worry  about  them,  ^as  I  now  do 
continually.  .So  for  these  reasons  I  dislike  your  idea 
of  following  the  sea  as  a  calling,  and  can  never 
allow  you  to  carry  it  out." 

She  added  further  that  she  was  thinking  of 
putting  me  into  one  of  the  commercial  houses  in 
Hiogo.  This  she  thought  would  be  advantageous 
to  both  my  brother  and  myself,  since  commerce 
and  shipping  go  together,  and  we  should  then  be 


OF  A   JAPANESE. 


able  to  assist  each  other.  After  saying  all  this,  and 
giving  me  much  more  good  maternal  advice,  she 
told  me  not  to  think  of  going  away  from  my  com- 
fortable home  to  make  myself  miserable  tossing 
about  on  the  restless  sea  in  a  miserable  craft,  but  to 
stay 'Contentedly  with  her  and  finish  my  education. 
Then  she  would  get  me  a  position  in  one  of  the 
great  commercial  houses  of  Hiogo  (the  port  of 
Osaka,  which  was  then  the  commercial  metropolis 
of  Japan).  After  turning  over  the  matter  and 
trying  to  judge  for  myself  in  my  boyish  way,  I  very 
sensibly  (I  think)  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
best  for  me  to  follow  my  mother's  advice  and  not 
to  think  any  more  of  rambling  away  from  home. 
So  I  went  quietly  back  to  school  and  continued 
there  for  two  years  or  more. 


THE   NARRATIVE 


II. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  3rd  moon  of  the  3rd 
year  of  Kayei,  that  is  to  say  about  April  1850, 
my  cousin  came  home  in  his  little  craft  of  about 
100  koku*  burden.  He  was  on  his  way  from 
Osaka  to  Marugame,  a  sea-port  of  the  island  of 
Shikoku  to  the  westward  of  our  little  village,  with 
nine  Yedo  passengers  who  wished  to  visit  the 
famous  Temple  of  Kompira,  near  Marugame.  As 
there  was  plenty  of  room,  for  the  junk  had  accom- 
modation for  something  like  sixty  or  seventy  per- 
sons, my  cousin  invited  me  to  go  with  him  to  visit 
the  temple.  1  told  him  that  my  mother  would  not 
allow  me  to  leave  home,  but  he  said  he  would  get 
her  consent.  And  he  did,  upon  condition  that  he 
should  not  take  me  elsewhere  than  to  the  Temple 
of  Kompira  and  back. 

It  can  well  be  imagined,  that  I  was  delighted 
with  his  success.     I  felt  very  glad  and  happy  at  the 
prospect  of  seeing  something  new,  and  I  set  to 
work,  as  only  an  excited  boy  can,  to  make  prepa 
rations  for  my  departure. 

*  (Koku,  &  measure  of  quantity— equalling  about  333^  Ibs.,  or  16.8 
Ttoku—a,  toe). 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


7 


When  the  day  came,  I  bade  my  mother  Sayo- 
nara,  (good-bye)  and  went  on  board  the  little  craft. 


Here  I  was  warmly  welcomed  by  the  passen- 
gers. They  made  a  great  favorite  of  me  during 
the  entire  voyage,  thus  greatly  increasing  the  plea- 
sure of  the  trip. 

We  set  sail  and  stood  off  in  a  westerly  direc- 
tion for  our  destination.  To  me  the  excitement  of 
being  at  last  fairly  on  my  way  into  that  strange 
world  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much,  was  so  great 
that  I  can  re-call  every  little  incident  of  the  trip  at 
this  day,  and  although  they  are  trivial  details  which 


8  THE   NARRATIVE 


% 

can  be  of  no  interest  to  the  general  reader,  I  am 
sure  that  every  one  will  have  much  sympathy  with 
the  youngster  who  was  then  taking  his  plunge  into 
the  great  ocean  of  life. 

In  due  course  we  came  to  anchor  in  the  port 
of  Marugame.  Here  our  passengers  went  ashore 
and  took  up  their  quarters  at  a  hotel  in  the  town, 
while  we  set  our  little  vessel  to  rights  and  moored 
her  properly,  before  sitting  down  to  supper. 

Marugame  and  the  neighbouring  town  of 
Tadotsu,  serve  as  starting  points  for  pilgrimages  to 
the  celebrated  temple  of  Kompira,  near  Kotohira, 
about  two  miles  to  the  south-east  of  the  former. 
Kotohira  may  number  about  5,000  inhabitants. 
It  is  full  of  roomy  hostelries.  In  one  of  these 
oyer  several  hundred  pilgrims  dine  every  day  during 
the  season.  Their  goal  is  the  templfe  of  Kompira, 
or  as  he  is  now  commonly  styled  in  the  official 
Shinto  worship,  Kotohira. 

On  the  morning  after  our  arrival,  the  Captain, 
one  of  the  crew,  and  myself,  landed  and  started  on 
foot  for  Kompira. 

The  road  for  some  distance  was  broad,  level 
and  in  good  repair.  About  eleven  o'clock  we 
came  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  which  is  crowned  by  the 
Temple.  On  our  way  we  passed  several  pack- 
horses  with  goods  or  passengers,  and  many 
cripples  and  beggars  by  the  wayside  whining  for 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


alms  from  the  pilgrims  and  passers-by.  Some  of 
them  were  badly  diseased, — some  indeed  almost 
entirely  covered  with  open,  running  sores.  I  was 
told  that  they  had  come  there  as  a  last  resource, 
in  the  hope  of  getting  cured  through  the  favor 
of  the  god  Kompira.  It  was  the  custom  of  the 
country  for  any  diseased  person  who  had  been 
given  up  as  incurable  by  his  physician,  to  resort  to 
this  possible  method  of  getting  relief,  and  to  stay 
there  until  cured  of  his  malady,  or  relieved  from 
further  suffering  by  death.  And  the  custom  still 
obtains  in  all  parts  of  Japan. 

After  a  few  minutes'  rest  at  one  of  the  little 
inns  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  passing  the  long 
rows  of  houses  with  their  rosaries,  idols,  chop- 
sticks of  wood  and  bamboo,  and  hundreds  of  other 
articles  for  sale,  we  came  to  .the  stone  steps 
and  ascended  to  the  chief  temple.  When  we  got 
to  the  top  we  found  several  shrines  scattered  over 
the  plateau.  There  were  also  a  bell-tower,  an 
" Emado"  (the  place  in  Shinto  temples  where  ex 
votos  are  hung),  a  tank  of  water  for  lustration 
before  worshipping  (as  is  required  by  the  Shinto 
ritual),  a  life-sized  bronze  horse  to  which  rice  is 
offered,  and  lanterns  of  stone,  and  bronze.  From 
the  foot  of  the  hill  to  the  top,  the  road  was  in 
excellent  repair,  and  most  of  the  way  the  steps 
were  of  stone,  with  stone  railings  on  both  sides. 


IO  TIJE   NARRATIVE 


These  stone  railings,  the  lanterns,  the  bronze 
horse,  etc.,  were  all  ex-votos,  and  the  names,  places 
of  residence  of  the  donors,  and  the  dates  of  their 
offerings. were  carved  on  each  of  them. 

I  was  told  that  the  temple  was  founded  by  a 
man  named  Kukai,  better  known  by  his  posthumous 
title  of  Ko-bo  Dai-shi,  about  one  thousand  years  ago. 
The  hill  on  which  it  stands  is  called  the  Elephant's 
Head,  for  the  reason  that  the  shape  of  the  moun- 
tain closely  resembles  the  head  of  that  animal ;  it 
is  said  that  the  mountain,  in  .shape  and  general 
appearance  is  not  unlike  one  in  some  part  of  India 
also  called  by  the  same  name.  The  lanterns  on 
the  top  when  lighted  at  night,  look  like  the  eyes 
of  an  elephant.  The  god  or  saint  to  whom  the 
temple  is  dedicated,  is  said  to  have  been  one  of 
the  600  Rakan.  He  is  called  Kompira  Jino.  His 
face  wore  a  scowling  lowering  expression,  it  being 
his  duty  to  look  after  the  behaviour  of  the  people 
as  our  police  do  now.  When  he  was  alive  he 
swore  that  he  would, control  the  sea  for  ever,  and 
for  that  reason  all  native  mariners  worship  this 
god ;  they  all  make  an  effort  to  visit  this  temple, 
but  when  this  is  impossible  they  rest  contented  with 
the  services  which  they  offer  before  the  image 
(or  wooden  board  with  an  inscription)  which  they 
set  up  in  the  Kami-dana  (the  small  shrine  to  be 
found  in  all  Japanese  dwellings). 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


II 


After  we  got  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  we 
washed  our  hands  and  rinsed  our  mouths  with 
water  from  the  font  provided  for  that  purpose, 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  Shinto  religion 
which  teach  that  one  must  always  come  to  the 
shrine  with  clean  hands  and  a  pure  mouth.  We 
then  went  up  to  the  shrine,  made  our  offerings 
and  prayed.  Next  we  went  all  round  the  place 


and  looked  at  its  various  wonders.  Afterwards 
we  descended  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  entered 
one  of  the  inns,  and  ordered  dinner.  After  dinner 
we  sallied  out  into  the  village  streets  and  bought 
some  Mi-yag£  (presents) ;  it  being  to  my  mind  one 


12  THE    NARRATIVE 


of  the  prettiest  of  our  country's  customs  that  when- 
ever a  person  goes  away  from  home,  particularly 
if  bent  on  pleasure,  he  shall  take  back  to  all  the 
members  of  the  household  whom  he  leaves  behind, 
some  memento  (not  necessarily  more  than  a  trifle) 
of  the  places  he  has  visited.  Our  purchases  com- 
pleted and  the  sights  of  the  place  exhausted,  we 
hired  a  pack  horse  fof  half  a  bu  (or  1 6  6/io  cents,  say 
six-pence)  to  carry  all  three  of  us  back  to  Maru- 
game,  a  distance  of'three  ri  (=7j^  miles). 

This  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  had 
ever  ridden  a  horse,  and  the  novel  sensation  afford- 
ed me  much  pleasure  and  excitement. 

We  found  that  our  passengers  wished  to 
extend  their  charter  of  our  vessel  so  as  to  visit 
the  sacred  Island  of  Miyajima,  further  west  in 
the  Inland  Sea,  and  then  to  return,  eastward 
as  far  as  the  port  of  Muro  in  the  province  of 
Harima. 

To  this  the  captain  agreed.  So  we  sailed  out 
of  the  little  harbour  of  Marugame  on  the  1 2th  day 
of  the  fourth  moon,  bound  for  Miyajima,  a  distance 
of  50  ri  (125  English  miles),  and  arrived  there 
safely  on  the  2ist  day  of  the  same  month.  On  our 
way,  we  passed  through  the  beautiful  little  Strait 
Ondo.  Tradition  says  that  when  Kiyomori  was 
at  the  height,  of  his  power,  he  met  the  goddess  of 
Miyajima  and  made  love  to  her.  But  she  rejected 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  13 


his  suit  and  told  him  that  if  he  would  build  a  temple 
on  the  island  in  a  single  day  she  would  accept  his 
love  and  consent  to  his  wishes.  On  hearing  this, 
Kiyomori  ordered  his  officers  and  men  to  set  to 
work  and  build  the  temple  at  any  cost.  The  work 
was  undertaken  by  a  large  force  of  artizans  and 
workmen  and  was  nearly  completed  *when  the  sun 
began  to  dip.  Kiyomori  brought  out  a  large  fan  on 
which  was  painted  a  red  ball  crest — the  image  of 
the  Sun ;  he  unfolded  this  and  waved  it  towards  the 
Sun,  calling  upon  him  to  stay  his  course..  The  Sun 
gave  heed  to  him  and  stood  still,  so  that  his  work- 
men completed  the  structure  in  one  day.  Then 
Kiyomori  went  and  offered  the  temple  to  the  god- 
dess and  asked  her  to  fulfil  her  promise.  She  said, 
"  Here  I  am,"  and  immediately  her  beautiful  form 
turned  into  a  dragon.  This  so  frightened  Kiyomori 
that,  notwithstanding  his  courage,  he  ran  from  her 
and  leaped  into  a  boat.  But  the  dragon  rushed 
into  the  water  with  a  great  hiss  and  pursued  the 
boat  towards  the  Straits  of  Ondo.  When  Kiyomori 
reached  the  Straits  he  turned  round.  To  his  horror 
he  found  that  the  dragon  was  still  pursuing  him  ; 
so  he  made  a  scowling  face  at  the  monster  and  a 
sign  to  the  water.  The  current  of  the  straits  then 
turned  and  set  against  the  dragon  and  she  was 
unable  to  stem  it,  and  so  turned  back  and  disap- 
peared from  his  sight  forever. 


It  is  all  owing  to  this  very  cause,  the  fishermen 
say,  that  the  current  in  this  Strait  behaves  so  strange- 
ly even  unto  this  day.  For  it  runs  very  swiftly 
for  a  while  in  one  direction,  stops  suddenly  and  for 
about  fifteen  minutes  runs  in  the  opposite  direction, 
and  then  resumes  its  regular  course  for  a  consider- 
ably longer  period.  This  phenomenon  we  exper- 
ienced as  we  passed  both  going  and  returning. 

We  soon  reached  the  famous  island  of  Miya- 
jima. 


Our  passengers  all  went  ashore  to  visit  the 
Temple  and  I  went  with  them.     The  island,  the  geo- 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  15 


graphical  name  of  which  is  Itsukushima,  is  situated 
in  front  of  the  town  of  Hiro-shima,  and  is  part  of 
province  of  Aki. 

It  is  7  ri  in  circumference  and  about  one  ri 
across.  It  is  said  that  one  of  the  very  first  Budd- 
hist Temples  in  Japan  was  built  on  this  island  by 
one  of  the  missionaries  who  introduced  that  religion 
from  China  and  India.  It  is  also  celebrated  for 
one  of  the  oldest  Shinto  shrines  in  the  country, 
built  in  587  A.D.  by  the  Emperor  Sui-nin  in  honor 
of  the  goddess  Benten,  popularly  reckoned  as  one 
of  the  seven  Gods  of  Fortune  of  my  country. 

The  island  sweeps  up  very  high  (about  1,500 
ft.)  and  rocky ;  heavily  wooded,  but  with  scarcely 
any  cultivatable  land,  although  there  are  many 
beautiful  little  vales  opening  to  the  sea.  In  them 
among  groves  of  maple,  nestle  the  inns,  tea- 
houses, and  dwellings  of  the  fishermen  and  image- 
carvers  who,  with  the  priests  and  innkeepers,  make 
up  the  population  of  the  isle  to  the  number  of  some 
3,000  in  all.  The  principal  Temple  stands  on  the 
beach.  A  portion  of  it  is  built  upon  piles  in  the 
water,  so  that  at  high  tide  you  can  enter  it  by 
boat.  At  some  distance  out  in  the  water  rises  a 
large  wooden  Tori-i,  or  portal,  such  as  one  finds 
at  the  entrance  to  all  Shinto  temples  on  shore, — 
for  since  the  restoration  of  the  Emperor  (Mikado) 
to  full  temporal  power,  the  two  religions,  Buddhism 


1 6  THE   NARRATIVE 


and  Shinto,  have  been  strangely  blended,  both  in 
ceremonial  and  outward  symbol,  in  all  the  principal 
temples  of  th .  land.  Near  the  top  of  the  high  hill 
in  the  centre  of  the  island  is  a  small  shrine  where 
a  sacred  fire  ever  burns.  According  to  the 
priests  in  charge,  it  has  never  been  permitted  to 
go  out  since  it  was  first  lighted  by  the  saint  Ko-bo 
Daishi,  over  a  thousand  years  ago.  At  the  very 
top  in  a  detached  boulder,  is  a  small  hole  containing 
water  which  the  priests  say  comes  up  from  the  Sea. 

I  have  wandered  away  from  my  narrative  and 
must  now  return.  The  day  after  our  arrival  at 
Miyajima,  when  we  had  pretty  well  exhausted  the 
sights  of  the  place  and  had  bought  our  Miydge, 
our  passengers  hired  a  six-oared  boat  in  order  to 
cross  to  Su-wo  where  they  wished  to  see  the  bridge 
called  Kintai.  They  kindly  invited  my  cousin  and 
myself  to  go  with  them,  and  we  gladly  accepted 
their  invitation. 

This  bridge  in  one  of  the  famous  sights  of 
Japan,  and  many  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  flock  to  see  it.  It  crosses  the  river  Nishi- 
ki-gawa,  near  the  town  of  Iwakuni,  in  the  province 
of  Su-wo,  by  five  spans  on  stone  abutments  and 
piers.  Although  it  has  been  repaired  from  time 
to  time,  it  still  shows  the  old  style  of  bridge  arch- 
itecture. Each  arch  is  made  of  large  timbers, 
strangely  curved,  and  solidly  bolted  together ;  the 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


curve  is  so  great  that  the  planking  is  laid  in  steps 
to  enable  people  to  ascend  and  descend  in  safety 
when  the  wood^  is  wet  and  slippery.  Each  span 
is  about  1 20  or  125  feet  long  and  about  15. feet 
wide. 


In  the  latter  part  of  the  fourth  moon  we  sailed 
for  home.  We  called  at  the  port  of  Tomo  in  the 
province  of  Bingo,  at  the  request  of  our  pas- 
sengers, who  wished  to  purchase  some  of  the  sweet 
sak£  called  Homei-shu  which  is  made  there,  and 
which  is  famous  for  its  flavour  and  for  its  quality  of 
keeping  sound  for  a  long  time.  Most  travellers 


1 8  THE  NARRATIVE 


who  come  thus  far  from  the  Eastern  provinces,  buy 
quantities 'of  this  sak6\.Q  take  home  as  presents  to 
their  families  and  friends. 

We  stayed  at  Tomo  two  days,  and  then 
made  for  Muro-tsu  in  the  province  of  Banshu. 
Here  we  landed  our  passengers  and  bade  them 
farewell,  as  they  were  to  return  home  overland,  in 
order  to  see  the  Mei-sho  (famous  places)  of  the 
province. 

After  the  passengers  had  left,  we  cleaned 
up  our  little  vessel,  and  on  the  3rd  day  we  sailed 
for  home.  We  arrived  there  on  the  i5th  day  of 
the  fifth  moon,  having  been  away  exactly  fifty- 
six  days,  during  which  time  we  had  traversed  about 
80  ri  or  200  English  miles,  going  and  returning. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  19 


III. 

When  we  landed  at  our  village  my  mother  was 
there  anxiously  awaiting  my  return.  She  welcomed 
me  warmly,  embraced  me  affectionately*  and  took 
me  home  to  our  house.  There  I  related  all  I  had 
seen,  described  the  places  I  had  visited,  and  pre- 
sented my  "  Miyage"  She  listened  with  much 
interest,  but  advised  me  not  to  go  away  from  home 
again,  as  she  was  so  anxious  for  my  safety,  and 
felt  so  lonely. 

After  I  had  told  her  all  about  the  journey,  I  went 
out  to  see  some  of  my  neighbours  and  to  distribute 
some  "  Miyag^r  While  I  was  repeating  to  them 
what  I  had  told  my  mother,  one  of  the  family  in 
whose  house  I  was  at  the  time  came  rushing  swiftly 
in  and  told  me  to  go  home  at  once  as  my  mother 
had  been  taken  suddenly  ill  and  was  suffering  greatly. 
I  thought  she  was  joking  and  said  that  it  was  im- 
possible, since  I  had  left  my  mother  well  and  hearty 
only  a  few  minutes  before.  But  the  woman  de- 
clared that  she  was  in  earnest  and  advised  me  to 


2O  THE   NARRATIVE 


go  home  at  once,  as  several  of  the  neighbours  were 
gathered  together  in  the  house  attending  to  her. 

I  hastened  home  to  find  my  mother  lying 
on  the  floor  mats,  groaning  and  vomiting.  I 
asked  those  present  what  the  matter  was,  but 
none  could  tell  me  how  or  why  she  had  become 
so  ill.  Then  I  knelt  down  beside  her  and  asked 
what  was  wrong;  she  opened  her  eyes,  looked  at 
me  for  a  moment,  and  then  took  a  bunch  of  keys 
from  the  fold  of  her  obi  (sash)  and  handed  them  to 
me  saying :  "  Take  great  care  of  these."  She  then 
shut  her  eyes  and  breathed  heavily,  but  said  nothing 
more.  After  receiving  the  keys,  I  put  them  away 
in  a  safe  place,  and  came  back  to  my  mother's  side. 
I  asked  her  again  how  she  felt  and  why  she  was 
so  ill,  but  no  reply  ever  came  from  her  lips. 

Then  for  the  first  time  I  became  thoroughly 
alarmed  and  began  to  realize  that  her  condition 
was  something  serious;  and  this  caused  me  to" 
wondeV  what  I  should  do,  if  she  did  not  recover 
from  the  attack. 

,  While  I  was  thus  thinking  two  physicians  for 
whom  the  neighbours  had  sent,  came  in  one  after 
the  other.  They  both  examined  the  patient,  and 
after  some  conversation  pronounced  her  illness 
to  be  "  sotchiu"  a  kind  of  apoplexy.  They  at 
once  mixed -some  medicine  from  the  remedies  in 
the  medicine  chest  which  they  had  brought  with 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  21 


them,  and  gave  it  to  my  aunt — she  had  arrived  in 
the  meantime — with  full  instructions  how  to  adminis- 
ter it  to  the  patient.  My  aunt  prepared  the  medi- 
cine and  brought  it  to  my  mother.  But  she  was 
perfectly  insensible  ;  her  teeth  were  clenched  and 
her  mouth  perfectly  rigid.  The  physicians  came 
daily  and  frequently  changed  the  medicine,  but  my 
mother  remained  insensible,  continually  breathing 
heavily. 

On  the  third  day  the  doctors  consulted 
and  decided  to  try  to  bleed  her  by  making  a 
cut  in  the  lobe  of  her  ear.  But  nothing  came 
from  it.  After  this  they  asked  for  some  gold 
and  silver  coins.  My  aunt  came  to  me  for  them, 
so  I  got  the  bunch  of  keys,  which  my  mother  had' 
given  to  me,  and  opened  the  safe,  where  I  found 
some  koban  and  nibu,  (gold  coins  equalling  respec- 
tively a  tael  and  a  half  tael)  and  some  bu  (silver 
coins=  ^  of  a  koban}  which  I  handed  to  the  doctors. 
They  selected  one  koban,  one  gold  nibu,  and  one 
silver  bu.  These  they  gave  to  my  aunt  with  instruc- 
tions to  put  them  into  a  pint  of  water,  and  to  boil 
it  down  until  there  was  from  a  half  to  three-quarters 
of  a  pint  of  liquid,  which  was  to  be  given  to  the 
patient.  Their  instructions  were  carefully  obeyed. 
But  whatever  efficacy  there  might  have  been  in  this 
remedy  was  entirely  lost,  for  the  patient  did  not  swal- 
low any  of  it,  because  her  teeth  were  clenched  so 


22  THE    NARRATIVE 


tightly  that  we  could  not  open  her  mouth.  At  length 
my  aunt  suggested,  as  was  usual  in  such  cases,  that 
as  my  mother's  chance  of  recovery  under  the 
doctor's  treatment  was  very  slight,  I  had  better 
visit  the  local  temple  ( Wujigamv)  ^  and  pray  that 
her  life  might  be  spared  and  her  health  re- 
stored. So  I  went  as  I  was  bid,  and  made  many 
vows  as  to  what  I  would  do  if  my  prayers  were 
answered.  But  all  to  no  purpose ;  on  the  fourth 
day  after  my.  mother  was  taken  ill,  she  expired 
quietly  and  passed  into  another  world  without  a 
murmur. 

During  the  time  qf  my  mother's  illness,  I 
attended  her  closely  and  never  left  her  bed-side, 
except  to  visit  the  temple  to  pray  to  the  gods 
to  spare  her  life  and  to  make  my  vows. 

When  she  died  I  felt  very  sad  and  lonely,  since 
she  was  the  person  in  the  whole  wide  world  of 
whom  I  thought  the  most.  Besides,  my  brother 
and  step-father  were  then  away  from  home. 
The  only  relative  near  me  was  my  aunt  who 
had  come  over  to  the  house  when  my  mother 
was  first  taken  ill,  and  had  stayed  there  ever 
since.  But  she  would  not  take  the  responsibility  of 
the  household  upon  herself.  She  wished  me  to  take 
charge  of  everything,  and  to  keep  the  keys  until 
rhy  step-father  came  home.  Thus  I  was  made  to 
keep  house  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen. 


OF  A  JAPANESE. 


The  third  day  after  my  mother's  death  her 
funeral  took  place  according  to  the  Buddhist  cere- 
monies, for  in  those  days  all  burials  were  performed 
according  to  the  Buddhist  rites.  Shinto  burial  never 
took  place.  The  Shinto  religion  was  considered 
pure  at  that  time,  and  death  was  supposed  to  be 
unclean  for  the  living.  For  that  reason,  if  any  death 
occurred  in  a  house  the  family  shrines  were 
generally  closed  for  75  days  at  least,  and  none  of  the 
inmates  were  allowed  to  pray  to  the  gods.  Thus 
Shintoism  was  for  the  living  and  Buddhism  for 
the  dead. 

The  funeral  was  a  grand  affair  for  our  little 
village.  Our  relatives  came  from  far  and  near,  and 
the  whole  of  the  towns-people  gathered  themselves 
together,  for  my  mother  had  been  much  respected 
by  the  villagers.  She  was  very  well  educated  for  a 
woman  in  those  days,  and  her  knowledge  had  en- 
abled her  to  be  of  assistance  to  them  in  many  ways. 
She  was  very  kind  to  them  at  all  times  and  having 
some  means  at  her  command,  she  was  able  to  be 
charitable  to  the  sick  and  the  poor. 

About  a  fortnight  after  my  mother's  funeral, 
my  step-father  came  home.  His  vessel  had  return- 
ed from  Yedo  to  Hiogo,  and  he  had  received  a 
letter  at  the  latter  place,  notifying  him  of  the 
death  of  his  wife.  I  felt  very  glad  to  see  him 
since  he  had  always  been  a  very  kind  father  to 


THE   NARRATIVE 


OF  "A   JAPANESE.  25 

me.  After  his  return,  we  lived  quietly  at  home, 
as  was  customary,  during  the  Ki-chzu,  or  one 
hundred  days  of  mourning.  By  the  time  that  period 
was  over,  his  vessel  had  made  a  trip  to  Yedo  and 
back  to  Hiogo,  and  was  ready  to  go  on  another 
voyage. 

One  day  he  asked  me  whether  I  would  stay 
at  home  and  keep  house  with- my  aunt  and  go  to 
school,  or  go  with  him  on  a*  trip  to  Vedo.  I  re- 
plied that  I  would  like  to  visit  Yedo,  if  he  would 
take  me,  since  my  wish  was  to  see  that  great  city. 
He  said  he  would  take  me  and  leave  the  house  in 
charge  of  my  aunt.  This  trip  to  Yedo  was  just 
what  I  had  long  been  wishing  for,  as  it  would  give 
me  a  chance  to  see  more  new  places  and  things, 
and  my  journey  to  Miyajima  had  only  whetted  my 
appetite  for  travel. 


26  THE   NARRATIVE 


IV. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  9th  moon  (i.e.  to- 
wards the  latter  part  of  1850  A.D.)  I  set  sail  in 
my  step-father's  junk,»  the  Sumiyoshi-maru,  from 
Hiogo,  bound  for  Yedo,  with  a  cargo  of  sake  and 
other  articles.  The  vessel  was  classed  at  1,600 
koku  (about  238  odd  tons)  carrying  capacity,  and 
was  about  the  largest  sized  junk  of  those  days. 
She  was  owned  by  a  wealthy  sake  brewer*  of  Nada, 
in  the  province  of  Settsu. 

We  skirted  the  northern  shore  of  the  Kii 
Channel,  and  in  a  few  days  rounded  Cape  Oshima. 
Then  the  weather  became  rainy  and  the  wind 
contrary ;  so  we  put  into  the  port  of  Kuki  in  the 
province  of  9hima  (usually  known  as  Kumano),  a 
deep-water  and  beautiful  harbour.  Here  we  re- 
mained a  few  days,  waiting  for  clear  weather  and 
a  fair  wind.  While  we  were  there  another  junk, 
the  Eirikwnaru,  came  in.  She  was  quite  new, 
of  about  the  same  size  as  ourselves  and  belonged 
to  a  relative  of  our  owner.  She  came  from  the 
same  place,  and  was  bound  on  the  same  voyag'e  as 
the  Sumiyoshi. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  27 


The  Captain,  and  some  of  the  officers  and 
men  of  this  new  arrival  were  from  towns  near  my 
home.  They  knew  who  I  was  and  something  of 
my  history,  and  as  they  rather  admired  my  boyish 
pluck  in  choosing  a  sailor's  life,  they  made  quite  a 
pet  of  me.  When  the  fair  weather  set  in,  and  we 
were  ready  to  sail  for  Yedo,  they  invited  me  to  go 
with  them  in  their  new  vessel  to  visit  the  great 
Capital.  I  asked  my  father  whether  I  could  go 
with  them.  He  objected  on  the  ground  that  I  was 
too  young  to  go  so  far  away  with  other  people. 
Then  the  Captain  and  officers  of  the  Eiriki  came 
and  asked  my  father's  consent  to  my  going  with 
them,  promising  t6  take  good  care  of  me,  to  show 
me  the  city,  and  to  return  me  safe  and  sound  when 
we  should  next  -be  in  company.  My  father  at 
length  consented  and  I  changed  from  his  vessel  to 
the  new  one,  and  setting  sail  in  her,  arrived  at 
Yedo  over  a  fortnight  earlier  than  the  SumiyosJii- 
maru. 

While  the  vessel  remained  at  Yedo,  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  immediate  ancestor  of 
the  modern  Tokio,  but  the  city  which  I  saw  forty 
years  ago  is  as  different  from  the  Tokio  of  to-day 
in  most  respects  as  can  be  well  imagined.  At  that 
time  there  was  absolutely  no  trace  of  intercourse 
with  foreigners  ;  now  one  finds  kerosene  oil  and 
lamps  for  sale  ii}  the  most  out-of-the  way  lanes, 


28  THE   NARRATIVE 


to  say  nothing  of  the  railways,  the  tramways,  the 
European  carriages,  the  western  costumes  on  native 
men  and  women,  and  the  foreigners  themselves. 

For  a  few  days  after  arriving  at  Shinagawa, 
the  port  properly  speaking  of  the  city,  although 
not  in  any  way  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
place,  we  were  all  Very  busy — the  officers  in  going 
about  to  deliver  cargo,  or  to  notify  consignees 
to  take  delivery  and  to  find  out  cargo  for  the 
return  voyage;  the  crew  in  handling  the  cargo 
and  looking  after  the  vessel.  After  a  while, 
when  the  rush  was  somewhat  over,  I  was  taken 
ashore  by  the  officers.  We  entered  the  mouth 
of  the  Sumida  and  ascended  to  the  landing  place. 
The  stream  was  crowded  with  vessels  of  all 
sizes  ;  the  shore  was  lined  along,  almost  its  entire 
course  with  Godowns  (fire-proof  warehouses), 
and  the  place  had  all  the  busy  look  of  a  great 
metropolis.  Jn  the  distance  we  saw  the  walls  and 
watch-towers  of  the  castle,  at  that  time  the  resid- 
ence of  the  Shogun  lye-yoshi,  and  at  intervals  over 
the  -large  city  that  lay  spread  out  before  us,  rose 
the  high  roofs  of  many  temples  with  the  huge 
parabolic  sweep  of  their  black-tiled  roofs. 

The  first  officer  of  the  Eiriki-mar'u,  one  of 
the  crew  and  myself  started  out  to  see  some  of  the 
sights  of  the  great  city.  We  first  went  to  the 
temple  at  Asakusa.  This  temple  is  the  Higashi 


OF   A  JAPANESE. 


29 


3O  THE   NARRATIVE 


Hongwanji,  or  Metropolitan  of  the  Eastern  Branch 
of  the  Monto  sect  of  the  Buddhists.  Thousands  of 
people  were  passing  to  and  fro,  and  the  crowd  was 
so  thick  that  I  was  not  at  all  at  ease.  Therefore  I 
held  fast  to  the  hand  of  the  first  officer  and  looked 
first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other  to  see  all  I 
could.  There  were  many  shops  in  front  of  the 
temple,  between  it  and  the  first  two-storied  red- 
painted  gate-way  with  its  great  carved  figures, 
and  huge  lanterns  depending  from  its  entrance. 
There  was  a  splendid  Pagoda  within  the  enclosure. 
After  visiting  this  temple  we  went  to  "Oku-yama," 
or  the  inner  mount,  with  its  tea-stands  and  houses 
in  the  midst  of  groves  of  large  evergreen 
trees  (now  all  gone  and  re-placed  with  small  ones, 
and  no  hill  now  to  be  seen).  And  all  around  were 
story-tellers,  acrobats,  jugglers,  street-players,  .ar- 
chery-galleries, and  Nozo-ki-ye  (stereoscopic  views). 
We  saw  all  these  and  returned  to  our  quarters  on 
shore  (the  Tonya,  or  Agent's)  in  the  evening. 

Next  day  I  went  with  another  of  our  officers 
to  a  temple  called  "Ten-jin"  at  Kame-ido  (now 
famous  for  its  wonderful  Wistaria  vines).  This 
was  a  fine  and  beautiful  structure,  with  a  peculiar 
bridge,  called  Sori-hashi,  over  a  pond  called  Shin- 
ji-no-Ike,  or  '  Pond  of  the  Word  Heart,'  on  account 
of  a  supposed  resemblance  to  A!£,  the  Chinese 
character  for  '  heart.'  In  the  pond  were  large  nunr 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  31 


bers  of  black  and  red  carp.  Visitors  buy  cakes  and 
throw  them  to  the  fish  which  come  up  to  show 
themselves.  The  pond  was  literally  alive  with 
hundreds  of  small  turtles  (Kame].  These  turtles 
and  carp  are  offered  by  the  devotees.  At  Asakusa 
we  saw  thousands  of  chickens,  pigeons,  and  other 
birds  which  had  been  offered  in  the  same  way. 
Near  about  all  temples  there  are  people  who  make 
a  meagre  living  by  trapping  birds  and  small  animals 
to  sell  to  the  worshippers,  for  it  is  considered 
meritorious  to  restore  any  captive  to  freedom.  It 
is  probable  that  the  liberated  animals  are  very  soon 
captured  again. 

The  next  day  we  went  to  the  theatre.  There 
were  three  theatres  in  one  place,  in  grand  style — 
to  my  thinking  then.  We  saw  the  play  of  "  An- 
chin  Kiyohime  "  and  then  returned  to  the  harbour 
by  the  Rio-goku  Bashi.  The  neighbourhood  6f 
the  bridge  was  lively ;  the  streets  were  thronged 
with  thousands  of  people,  pack-horses,  horsemen, 
cartmen,  .and  passengers. 

All  this  does  not  seem  very  much  to  have  seen 
in  three  days,  but  Yedo  was,  as  Tokio  now  is,  a  city 
of  magnificent  distances,  and  we  went  on  foot,  for  in 
those  days  there  were  no  easy  means  of  communi- 
cation such  as  tramcars,  omnibuses,  or  jinrikisha. 
And  had  we  not  walked,  we  should  have  been  com- 
pelled to  go  in  norimono  or  kago  (palanquins  or 


32  THE   NARRATIVE 


chairs)  or  on  horseback,  neither  much  quicker  than 
on  foot  and  both  ways  too  expensive  and  in- 
convenient. 

That  was  all  I  saw  of  Yedo,  and  when 
those  trips  were  finished,  the  Eiriki  was  about 
ready  for  her  return  voyage.  On  the  2Oth  day  of 
the  tenth  moon  we  set  sail  homeward  bound.  My 
step-father's  vessel  the  Sumiyoshi-wiaru  arrived  in 
Yedo  Bay  just  as  we  were  leaving,  and  I  therefore 
had  no  chance  of  meeting  him,  and  as  my  story 
will  show  later,  on,  I  never  saw  him  more. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  33 


V. 

On  our  way  down  Yedo  bay  we  passed  the 
village  of  Kanagawa  and  the  insignificant  fishing 
hamlet  of  Yokohama.  But  of  course  there  was 
nothing  about  them  then  to  attract  our  special 
attention. 

In  former  times  all  junks  entering  the  Bay 
of  Yedo  were  stopped  at  Uraga  for  examina- 
tion. The  first  expedition  from  the  U.  S.  of 
America  to  Japan  had  entered  the  harbour  of 
Uraga,  in  1846.  It  consisted  of  the  ship-of-the-line 
Columbus  and  the  corvette  Vincennes,  under  com- 
mand of  Commodore  Biddle,  U.S.N.  It  caused 
great  excitement  among  the  nobles  and  officers  of 
the  Government.  My  step-father's*  junk  happened 
to  be  in  the  harbour  at  the  time  and  was  pressed  for 
service  by  the  native  authorities  as  one  of  the  several 
hundred  guard-boats  which  surrounded  the  strangers. 
While  I, was  at  home  I  often  heard  my  father 
tell  the  story  and  speak  of  the  fear  he  felt  at  en- 


34  THE   NARRATIVE 


countering  the  strange  visitors.  That  expedition 
remained  ten  days.  No  one  was  allowed  to  land, 
and  the  answer  to  the  President's  letter  consisted 
of  the  simple  sentence ;  No  trade  can  be  permitted 
with  any  other  country  than  Holland.  This  reply 
probably  came  from  the  Shogun,  and  not  from  the 
Mikado,  as  has  been  stated-;  for  besides  the  fact 
that  the  Mikado  at  that  time  was  not  actively  en- 
gaged in  affairs  of  state,  the  interval  which  elapsed 
between  the  arrival  of  the  foreign  vessels  and  their 
departure  was  not  sufficient  to  permit  of  communi- 
cating with  Kioto,  the  Imperial  residence,  and  get- 
ting a  reply,  for  it  is  over  400  miles  from  Uraga. 
Many  years  afterwards,  the  story  I  heard  from  my 
step-father  was  corroborated  by  the  First  Lieute- 
nant of  the  man-of-war  St.  Mary,  when  I  was 
crossing  the  Pacific  from  San  Francisco  to  Hong- 
kong. He  told  us,  through  an  interpreter,  that  his 
uncle  was  the  Commodore  who  visited  Uraga  in 
1846  in  the  frigate  Columbus,  and  that  while  that 
ship  and  the  Vincennes  were  there  they  were  con- 
tinually surrounded  by  a  number  of  native  vessels. 
One  day  his  uncle  wished  to  see  the  inside  of 
one  of  the  native  war-junks.  So  he  went  off 
in  his  gig,  climbed  up  the  side  of  the  junk,  and  wa*s 
just  about  to  put  foot  on  her  gangway,  when  one 
of  the  two-sworded  men  (samurai]  pushed  him 
back  into  his,  boat.  In  his  fall  he  hurt  a  limb,  and 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  35 


this  and,  the  insult  that  had  been  put  upon  him, 
made  him  wroth.  The  old  gentleman  returned  to 
his  vessel  and  was  going  to  open  fire  and  blow 
up  the  junk  ;  but  the  Captain  interfered  and  sooth- 
ed the  old  Commodore  by  telling  him  that  he  was 
wrong  in  trying  to  go  on  board  the  stranger  with- 
out giving  notice. 

We  remained  long  enough  at  Uraga  to  complete 
our  cargo,  and  about  the  26th  day  of  the  same  moon 
.we  sec  sail  again.  The  first  few  days  the  wind  was 
from  the  S.W.  and  contrary,  so  we  were  com- 
pelled to  beat  about  the  coast  of  the  provinces 
of  Sagami  and  Izu  without  making  much  headway. 
But  on  the  29th  .the, wind  changed  to  the  N.E.  and 
then  to  the  E.  and  became  fair.  On  the  3Oth 
the  weather  was  fine,  the  wind  was  light  from  E. 
and  S.E. — being  fair  for  our  course,— rand  we  were 
going  along  nicely  with  all  sails  set  and  yards 
nearly  squared.  At  sundown  the  weather  had 
every  appearance  of  continuing  fine,  so  our  Captain 
decided  to  cross  Owari  Bay  or  Totomi  Nada,  from 
Omai-saki  in  To-tomi  to  Oshima  in  Ki-i,  instead 
of  stopping  at  one  of  the  harbours  of  the  province 
of  Ise,  as  was  usual  at  that  time  of  the  year  with 
such  wind  and  weather — for  the  native  mariners 
know  well  that  if  the  wind  gets  to  the  E.  and  S.E. 
during  the  winter,  the  i oth,  iithand  I2th  moons, 
although  the  weather  may  be  fine  for  a  while, 


36  THE   NARRATIVE 


are  sure  to  experience  a  sudden  and  severe  change. 
But  somehow  on  this  occasion  there  were  more 
than  200  vessels  standing  on  the  same  course,  all 
equally  confident  that  the  fine  weather  would  con- 
tinue, for  we  did  not  notice  any  of  them  trying  to 
make  for  shelter  in  the  ports  of  Ise.  So  we  stood 
on  our  course  also. 

But  about  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  it  became 
very  dark,  and  rain  commenced  to  fall,  and  the  S.E. 
wind  increased  in  .force  apace  until  at  9  o'clock  it  was 
blowing  a  gale,  and  we  had  to  lower  our  sail  by  de- 
grees so  that  in  a  short  time  we  were  carrying  only 
a  little  sail  just  a  few  feet  from  the  deck.  A  little 
while  after  this  I  was  lying  in  my  bunk  half  asleep, 
not  knowing  exactly  what  was  going  on  ;  the  vessel 
rolled  greatly  and  the  roar  of  the  wind  and  sea  was 
such  as  I  had  never  heard  before.  This  awoke  me 
completely,  yet  I  could  scarcely  realize  the  situa- 
tion until  I  looked  out  of  the  cabin.  Then  I  saw 
the  angry  waves  rolling  as  high  as  mountains.  I 
became  alarmed  and  most  inexpressibly  sick. 
I  seriously  reflected  upon  what  I  had  done  in 
leaving  my  father's  vessel ;  I  also  remembered  what 
my  mother  had  told  me  so  often,  that  the  sea-life 
would  make  me  miserable.  While  I  was  thus  re- 
flecting, some  of  the  crew  and  the  Captain  passed 
my  bunk  saying  Namu-Amida-Butsu,  Namu-Ami- 
da-Butsu.  (These  Indian  words  meaning  'Hail 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  37 


to  the  eternal  splendor  of  Buddha '  form  the  usual 
prayer  of  the  Buddhists  t  all  those  who  utter  these 
words  are  taught  by  the  priests  that  on  saying 
them  Amida  will  forgive  their  sins  and  receive  them 
into  the  land  of  happiness.  In  the  present  instance 
the  English  equivalent  would  be  "  God  save  us !.") 
When  I  heard  them  my  fright  increased  more  and 
more. 

Meanwhile  the  storm  became  worse,  and  the 
seas  rose  higher  and  higher.  Although  nothing 
like  what  I  have  since  seen  several  times,  yet  it 
was  enough  to  trouble  me  very  much  then,  for  I  had 
never  known  anything  of  the  kind  before.  I  ex- 
pected every  wave  would  swallow  us  up,  and  that 
every  time  the  junk  plunged  down  into  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  she  would  never  rise  more ;  and  in  this 
agony  of  mind,  I  made  many  vows  and  resolutions 
that  if  it  would  please  the  gods  to  spare  my  life 
this  voyage,  and  in  their  gracious  mercy  permit 
me  to  set  foot  on  dry  land  once  again,  I  would 
never  more  set  out  in  a  ship  while  I  lived. 

About  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  rain 
which  had  been  coming  down  in  torrents  ceased 
and  the  wind  somewhat  abated,  although  the 
sea  continued  to  run  high.  At  daybreak  I 
looked  out  and  saw  several  junks  running  in  the 
same  direction  as  ourselves,  all  labouring  and  in 
sore  difficulties.  Some  were  near  to  us,  some 


38  THE   NARRATIVE 


were  far  away ;  some  were  already  without  masts, 
and  some  were  showing  distress  signals)  but  we 
could  do  nothing  to  help  them,  since  the  most  we 
were  able  to  do  for  ourselves  wds  to  Iceep  our 
vessel  afloat,— and  we  were  in  great  danger  of  be- 
coming unable  to  do  even  as  much  as  that. 

By  7  o'clock  the  S.E.  wind  had  died  away  com- 
pletely, so  our  Captain  ordered  the  crew  to  hoist 
the  sail.  But  while  the  men  were  at  the  'capstan 
(for  the  heavy  duck  sail  can  only  be  hoisted  in  that 
way),  in  a  moment  of  time,  a  new  and  fierce  wind 
from  the  N.W.  burst  upon  us  with  twofold  strength 
and  violeqce ;  so  we  had  to  lower  the  sail  instead 
of  hoisting  it,  and  were  compelled  to  fasten  yard 
and  sail  alike  on  deck  to  prevent  them  from  being 
blown  away  into  jthe  sea.  We  changed  our  course 
to  S.E.  and  ran  the  vessel, before  the  new  wind,  but 
she  rolled  tremendously  because  of  her  tall  and 
heavy  mast  and  pitched  heavily  against  the  S.E. 
sea  which  was  still  running  high.  Although  now 
we  had  not  a  stitch  of  canvas  on,  we  drove  along  at 
about  3  or  4  knots  per  hour.  About  noon  we  had  to 
jettison  a  part  of  our  cargo  of  barley  and  peas  to  the 
amount  of  200  bales,  in  order  to  lighten  the  vessel 
and  to  keep  the  mast  from  rolling  out  of  her.  She 
took  in  water  from  both  sides  as  she  rolled,  and  we 
had  to  be  at  the  pump  all  the  time.  About  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  sighted  land  on  our  right. 


OF   A  JAPANESE. 


39 


This  we  supposed  to  be  the  Tosa  Point.    And 
now  we  could  not  keep  the  mast  any  longer,  but  had 


to  cut  it  away  before  the  night  came  on.  In  about 
1 5  or  20  minutes  after  commencing  to  cu^  the  great 
mast  fell  clean  off  into  the  sea  and  we  felt  much 
relief,  as  our  vessel  rolled  less  and  it  was  much 
easier  to  steer  her.  The  N.  W.  wind  lasted  until 
1 1  o'clock  at  night,  when  it  became  almost  a  dead 
calm.  So  with  the  exception  of  those  who  were  to 
steer  the  vessel  and  keep  watch  we  all  retired  for 
the  night,  fatigued  with  the  labours  and  anxiety  of 
the  day.  I  went  on  deck  after  the  gale  had  died 


4O  THE   NARRATIVE 


away  to  have  a  look ;  when  I  saw  the  blue  sky  with 
stars  shining,  and  the  sea  apparently  in  all  its 
former  smoothness,  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  For  the  first  time  since  the  previous 
day,  I  felt  somewhat  easy  in  my  mind  ;  but  when  I 
saw  the  old  sail,  torn,  and  flapping  about  the  deck, 
the  noble  mast  gone,  and  nothing  but  a  ragged  stump, 
2  or  3  ft.  high  standing  up  from  the  deck,  and  every 
thing  in  disorder,  I  again  became  down-hearted. 
However  I  went  forward,  washed  my  hands  and 
rinsed  out  my  mouth,  and  gave  thanks  to  the  gods 
for  our  deliverance.  There  is  always  a  little  shrine 
on  board  a  Japanese  junk  in  the  cabin  just  abaft 
the  mast,  but  in  time  of  danger  it  is  not  necessary 
to  go  to  it,  for  prayers  may  then  be  offered  in  any 
place.  After  my  devotions  I  went  below  and 
turned  in  for  the  night. 

The  first  day  of  the  eleventh  moon  broke  fine 
and  clear,  with  a  bright  sky  and  a  light  morning 
breeze.  The  sea  had  lost  all  its  angry  appearance 
and  not  a  cloud  was  to  be  seen.  Our  crew  got  up 
early  in  order  to  clean  away  the  wreckage,  repair 
the  sail,  and  put  the  vessel  in  some  condition  to 
get  back  home.  After  breakfast  the  men  made  a 
jury  mast  and  set  what  sail  they  could.  There  was 
no  land  in  sight,  but  we  steered  a  course  due  North, 
as  we  supposed  our  country  was  in  that  direction, 
since  we  had  stood  to  the  southward  all  the  previous 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  4! 


day.  We  saw  lots  of  wreckage  on  the  water,  such 
as  spars,  wooden  water-tanks,  small  boats  more  or 
less  damaged,  planks  and  broken  timbers,  which 
we  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  the  several 
junks  that  were  in  our  company  the  day  before,  or 
on  the  night  when  the  gale  began.  No  doubt  many 
of  them  had  gone  to  pieces 

After  our  jury-mast  had  been  rigged  and  the 
canvas  properly  set,  we  all  washed  our  hands,  and 
rinsed  our  mouths,  and  offered  thanks  to  the  gods 
for  our  deliverance  and  prayed  to  be  restored  to 
our  homes. 

A  little  after  noon  a  sail  hove  in  sight  to 
the  southward,  under  full  canvas,  and  in  about 
an  hour's  time  she  came  up  to  us  and  passed 
on  to  the  north,  about  five  miles  away.  Some 
of  our  men  suggested  that  we  should  make 
signals  of  distress  in  order  to  be  taken  on  board  of 
her,  as  she  appeared  to  be  in  a  much  better  condi- 
tion than  we,  and  her  chance  of  getting  back  to  our 
country  was  far  greater  than  ours.  But  the  majority 
of  us  did  not  favour  the  suggestion,  since  we  did 
not  know  what  condition  she  was  in  as  to  her  hull 
and  provisions ;  whereas  our  vessel  was  new  and 
sound  and  had  water  and  stores  sufficient  to  last 
for  several  months.  So  we  concluded  not  to  make 
any  signals  or  to  try  to  transfer  ourselves,  but  to 
stand  by  our  own  vessel  and  take  our  chances.  We 


42  THE   NARRATIVE 


made  but  little  progress  with  our  jurymast  and  sail, 
and  at  sun-down  the  wind  died  away  to  a  calm.  By 
this  time  the  above-mentioned  junk  was  out  of  sight. 
In  the  night,  a  short  time  before  midnight,  the  sky 
became  dark  and  cloudy,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
wind  blew  from  the  West  with  some  force,  so  that 
we  had  to  lower  the  sail  and  allow  the  vessel  to 
run  before  the  wind.  Leaving  three  men  to  steer 
and  .keep  watch,  the  rest  of  us  went  to  sleep. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  43 


VI. 

The  morning  of  the  2nd  day  broke  fine  and 
clear,  but  the  West  wind  continued  and  there  was  a 
considerable  sea  running.  About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  we  sighted  land  ahead.  We  did  not 
knoV  what  it  was,  but  we  steered  straight  toward  it. 

Third  day,  nth  mdon.  The  weather  was  fine 
and  the  sea  calm.  At  daybreak  we  were  close  to 
the  land  we  had  sighted  the  previous  evening,  and 
on  its  lee  side.  A  large  junk,  dismasted,  was  in 
sight  about  3  miles  north  of  us.  We  believed  it  to 
be  the  one  we  had  seen  under  full  sail  the  day 
before,  and  concluded  she  liad  lost  her  rnast  during 
the  night  as  the  wind  at  times  blew  with  fury. 

We  looked  at  the  island  for  a  long  while  to 
see  if  there  was  any  smoke  rising,  but  we  did  not 
see  any,  and  from  that  fact  we  supposed  it 
to  be  uninhabited.  After  breakfast  we  consulted 
as  to  whether  it  was  advisable  to  land  or  not. 
Some  thought  it  was  best  to  land,  while  others 
were  opposed  to  doing  so.  Those  who  wished  to 
land  gave  as  their  reason  that  we"  had  but  little 
chance  of  getting  back  to  our  native  country  in  out 
present  condition,  and  said  that  we  did  not  k'now 


44  THE    NARRATIVE 


where  we  were.  On  the  other  hand  the  party  who 
were  opposed  to  landing  said  that  the  place  might 
not  be  inhabited,  since  we  had  not  yet  seen  any 
smoke ;  and  besides,  if  there  were  inhabitants, 
they  might  be  cannibals,  for  we  did  not  know 
what  the  island  was.  (I  afterwards  learned  that 
the  island  was  Ogashima,  one  of  the  "  Izu 
Shichito "  or  Seven  Isles  of  Izu,  the  first  and 
largest  of  which  is  Oshima,  known  to  foreigners  as 
Vries  Island.)  If  we  remained  on  board  we  might 
have  a  chance  of  meeting  some  other  vessel,  or  of 
reaching  some  land  that  we  knew,  for  we  thought 
we  had  been  drifting  considerably  towards  the 
East  since  we  had  been  dismasted;  and  know- 
ing that  we  had  provisions  and  water  enough  to 
last  for  several  months,  we  felt  safer  on  the  junk. 
Thus  the  discussion  went  on,  but  nothing  definite 
came  of  it,  and  the  men  were  undecided  whether  to 
land  or  to  remain  on  board.  So  at  length  they  con- 
sulted the  Captain,  who  said  that  if  any  chose  to 
land  they  might  do  so,  but  for  his  part  he  could 
never  even  think  of  leaving  such  a  valuable  vessel 
and  cargo  in  mid-ocean ;  he  must  remain  on  board, 
and  either  take  the  vessel  back  to  her  owner  or  die 
on  her. 

At  this  point  (as  was  our  custom  in  such  a 
case  of  uncertainty)  one  of  the  crew  went  before 
the  Shrine  in  the  cabin,  prayed  and  took  mikuji,  (a 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  45 


form  of  divination  by  a  number  of  sticks,  used  to 
ascertain  the  mind  of  the  Kami,  "  gods  ")  to  see 
whether  it  was  advisable  to  land  or  to  remain  on 
board.  The  sign  came  out  "  to  land,"  and  this  was 
reported  to  us  where  we  were  gathered  together. 
Then,  another  went  to  the  shrine  and  again  took 
nrikuji,  and  this  time  the  sign  came  out  "  not  to 
land." 

Owing  to  these  conflicting  mikuji,  a  sharp  dis- 
cussion arose  among  the  officers  and  crew  as  to  what 
we  were  to  do.  At  last  one  of  the  officers  took 
a  final  divination,  and  the  sign  came  out  "to  land." 
So  after  this  last  mikuji,  the  majority  were  in  favor 
of  landing,  since  the  gods  appeared  to  direct  us  to 
do  so,  and  they  commenced  to  prepare  for  disembark- 
ing on  the  island.  Some  of  the  men  went  forward  to 
lower  the  boat,  and  to  make  her  ready,  when  the 
Captain  came  forward  and  said ;  "  You  may  land, 
but  I  will  not."  The  second  officer,  who  was  the 
Captain's  nephew,  on  hearing  this  said : — 

"  If  the  Captain  remains,  I  shall  not  land  but 
shall  stay  with  him." 

Then  the  discussion  re-commenced  and  while 
they  were  talking  time  passed,  and  the  Western 
breeze  came  up  with  force,  so  that  our  vessel  began 
to  drift  away  from  the  island.  This  made  it  difficult 
and  even  dangerous  to  venture  in  the  boat ;  there- 
fore £he  idea  of  landing  on  that  island  was  aban- 


46  THE   NARRATIVE 


doned;  and  our  vessel,  running  before  the  West 
wind,  drifted  off  to  the  Eastward,  and  at  sundown  the 
island  (the  last  bit  of  t)ai-Nippon,  although  we  did 
not  then  know  it)  was  out  of  sight,  for  the  wind  in- 
creased as  the  day  advanced. 

Owing  to  the  increased  wmd  and  sea,  we  had 
to  get  up  early  on  the  next  day,  in  order  to  do 
something  for  the  vessel.  As  it  was,  it  required 
three  men  at  a  time  to  steer  her  when  she  was  run- 
ning before  the  wind  without  a  stitch  of  canvas. 
After  breakfast. the  officer  and  men  consulted  toge- 
ther and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  best  to 
haul  in  the  big  rudder  and  drop  two  anchors  at  the 
bow.  This  would  keep  the  junk's  head  to  the  sea 
and  let  her  steer  herself  by  reason  of  her  weight. 
So  we  went  to  work  and  did  as  we  decided. 

After  this  was  done,  we  felt  much  more  com- 
fortable than  before,  because  the  creaking  of  the 
rudder  ceased  and  the  junk  rode  at  ease  with 
the  anchors  at  the  bow  to  keep  her  head  to  the 
wind  and  sea.  The  men  made  everything  snug 
and  secure  about  the  decks ;  then  they  all  washed 
their  hands  and  rinsed  out  their  mouths,  and  <lve  all 
assembled  before  the  shrine  where  we  offered  up 
our  praters. 

After  that  some  laid  down  to  rest,  but  others 
began  to  grumble  and  express  regret  that  they  had 
not  landed  on  the  island,  since  our  chance  of  being 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  47 


rescued  was  now  very  slight ;  but  others  said  that 
if  we  had  gone  ashore  and  found  cannibals,  or  no 
inhabitants  at  all  on  the  island,  we  should  have  been 
much  worse  off  than  we  were. 

In  the  evening  the  wind  died  away,  the  sky 
was  clear,  the  weather  fine  and  the  sea  smooth,  and 
that  night  we  had  a  nice  quiet  rest.  Nothing  of 
any  importance  occuring  in  the  meantime,  on  the 
morning  of  the  gth  day  of  the  eleventh  moon,  the 
weather  continuing  fine  with  a  light  Southerly  wind, 
we  set  up  the  jury  mast  and  made  sail. 

Not  knowing  where  we  were,  we  steered  for 
the  N.  W.  until  the  i2th  day,  when  the  weather 
became  rainy.  On  the  following  day  it  cleared  up 
with  a  strong  Westerly  gale  which  obliged  us  to 
take  in  sail,,  lower  the  jury  mast,  and  let  the  vessel 
run  before  the  wind.  During  that  day  we  experi- 
enced several  hail  squalls  for  the  first  time.  About 
10  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  had  to  jettison 
some  of  our  cargo,  for  the  sea  ran  so  high  that  the 
vessel  appeared  heavy,  and  shipped  water  occa- 
sionally.. We  threw  out  some  400  bales  of  peas 
and  barley ;  this  made  her  ride  the  seas  with  ease, 
and  we  felt  much  comfort.  It  was  one  of  the 
gloomy  days,  the  time  being  passed  alternately  at 
the  pumps  and  at  prayers.  It  appeared  to  me  that 
this  was  the  worst  day  since  the  junk  had  been  blown 
away  to  sea  on  the  3oth  of  the  preceding  moon. 


48  THET  NARRATIVE 


About  sunset  the  wind  abated,  though  the  sea  was 
still  rough,  and  the  -waves  ran  high.  We  hauled  in 
the  rudder  as  before,  dropt  two  anchors  at  the 
bow,  and  made  everything  as  snug  on  deck  and 
as  comfortable  below  as  we  could.  Then  we  went 
to  supper,  and -afterward  offered  up  prayers  and 
then  to  bed. 

The  1 5th  day  of  the  moon,  the  weather  was 
fine,  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen  in  the  sky.  We  saw 
several  fish  playing  about  the  vessel,  and  caught 
some  mackerel  (Sawara),  and  others.  Some  we 
cooked  and  ale  at  once ;  those  that  were  left  we 
dried  and  salted  for  our  future  use.  We  also  saw 
a  number  of  albatross  and  sea-gulls.  Some  swal- 
lows and  other  land  birds  flitted  about  the  vessel. 

On  the  following  day  the  weather  continued 
fine,  and  as  we  had  nothing  special  to  do  to  amuse 
ourselves,  some  of  us  went  forward,  opened  the 
hatch-way  and  unpacked  some  of  the  boxes  which 
formed  part  of  the  cargo.  We  found  some  treasure, 
consisting  of  gold  kobans  and  nibus  and  silver  bus 
in  packages,  and  tempos  (copper  pieces) ;  we  also 
found  some  walnuts.  After  we  saw  the  latter  we 
put  away  the  treasure  and  took  the  walnuts  to 
the  cabin  where  we  began  to  press  out  the  oil  in 
the  old  style,  obtaining  about  a  pint  of  it.  Our  oil- 
press  consisted  of  a  block  of  wood  with  a  hole  in  the 
centre  and  small  cuts  at  the  bottom  to  let  the  oil 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  49 


to  run  off.  This  stood  in  a  metal-tray  which  caught 
the  oil.  The  peeled  nuts  were  roasted  and  then 
put  into  a  hemp  bag  which  was  placed  in  the  hole. 
A  piston  or  round  plug  was  tightly  fitted  into  the 
hole  and  driven  down  by  means  of  a  lever  across 
its  top. 

The  next  day  the  weather  still  holding  fine,  we 
decided  to  distil  some  sea-water  by  fixing  the 
wooden  cover  over  a  large  iron  pot  xised  for  boiling 
rice.  There  were  two  grooves  made  crosswise  in- 
side the  cover,  against  which  the  steam  condensed, 
and  by  placing  small  cups  on  the  sides  of  the  pot 
at  the  end  of  each  groove,  we  caught  about  a  quart 
of  fresh  water  in  ten  hours  or  so.  But  to  boil  die 
salt  water  in  that  way  required  a  great  deal  of  fuel, 
so  we  stopped. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  day  of  the  moon, 
the  weather  was  fine  and  the  sea  calm.  But  about 
noon,  the  wind  came  up  from  the  westward  and  in- 
creased in  force.  We  noticed  several  sharks  playing 
about  our  junk.  Some  of  our  men  were  afraid  of 
them,  but  others  said  that  they  were  sent  especially 
by  the  god  "Isobe  "  to  watch  over  our  vessel's  safety, 
since  we  had  been  praying  to  that  god  particularly. 
It  is  said  that  sharks  are  the  servants  of  the  afore- 
said god. 

The  weather  continued  fine  and  the  sea 
calm  for  the  rest  of  this  moon.  We  had  nothing 


50  THE    NARRATIVE 


to  do,  so  one  day — it  was  the  first  of  the  twelfth 
moon, — some  of  the  men  went  forward,  opened  the 
treasure-boxes,  and  got  some  of  the  gold  coins. 
They  brought  them  into  the  cabin  and  commenced 
to  play  cards  with  the  coins  as  stakes.  They  con- 
tinued at  this  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  some  win- 
ning, others  losing.  But  when  the  game  was  finished 
none  of  them  gathered  up  the  coins, — they  left 
them  scattered  there  and  no  one  seemed  to  care 
for  them.  Like  the  true  avaricious  gambler,  each 
was  anxious  to  win  from  his  fellows,  although  their 
days  were  apparently  numbered ;  but  realizing,  when 
the  excitement  of  greed  was  over,  the  utter  useless- 
ness  of  money  to  them  in  their  plight  they  were 
quite  indifferent  to  their  winnings. 

The  5th  day  of  the  1 2th  moon  was  another 
gloomy  day  for  us.  It  had  been  raining  since  the 
previous  day,  but  in  the  morning  the  rain  ceased, 
and  a  strong  westerly  breeze  began  to  blow ;  this 
•continued  to  increase  until  it  became  a  perfect  gale. 
About  ten  o  clock  in  the  morning  we  shipped  a  sea 
over  the  forward  part  of  the  vessel.  It  broke 
into  the  forecastle,  so  we  had  to  run  back  into  the 
after  cabin.  We  all  went  to  the  pump  and  cleared 
out  the  water :  then  some  repaired  the  damage, 
but  some  of  the  others  (the  eldest  of  our  company) 
gave  the  junk  up  for  lost  altogether  and  would  not 
work. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  51 


Others  encouraged  them  by  saying ;  "  We  are 
all  safe!"  Although  I  was  young  and  small,  yet 
when  I  heard  the  elders  give  up  so,  I  went  to  the 
pump  and  helped  the  rest  to  pump  out  the 
water.  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the 
gale  seemed  to  decrease,  and  by  sunset  it  ceased 
and  the  sea  soon  returned .  to  its  former  smooth- 
ness, when  all  hands  went  to  work  and  made 
further  repairs.  When  everything  was  as  snug 
as  we  could  make  it,  and  the  chafing-gear  of 
our  anchor  ropes  had  been  changed,  we  went 
to  supper  and  afterwards  before  turning  in  for  the 
night  thanked  the  gods  for  deliverance  from  the 
gale  "{  the  day. 

This  gale  was  not  so  severe  as  the  previous 
one  of  the  1 3th  of  the  last  moon,  but  the  sea  ran 
high  and  crosswise,  which  caused  our  vessel  to  roll 
and  creak  terribly.  This  made-  the  men  very  un- 
easy about  the  safety  of  our  junk. 

T^th  day  of  i2th  moon.  The  weather  was 
fine ;  although  there  was  some  wind  yet  it  was 
nothing  to  be  alarmed  about.  We  were  talk- 
ing and  chatting  in  the  cabin,  when  one  of  the 
mates  went  forward  to  look  at  the  bow  of  the  junk. 
He  thought  the  head  of  the  vessel  had  dropped  off 
and  he  rushed  into  the  cabin  and  reported  what  he 
had  seen,  saying  "  Namu-Amida-Butsu  "  and  drop- 
ped on  the  floor  of  the  cabin  where  we  were.  This 


52  THE    NARRATIVE 


frightened  us  all  and  we  ran  to  see  whether 
what  he  said  was  really  true,  when,  to  our  great 
joy,  we  found  it  was  not  the  case, — as  the  bow 
of  the  junk  was  all  right  and  nothing  had  happened. 
After  the  men  had  inspected  the  bow  and  other 
forward  parts  of  the  vessel,  they  returned  to  the 
cabin  where  the  mate  who  had  frightened  us  was, 
and  began  to  scold  him  for  -making  such  a  false  re- 
port and  causing  such  unnecessary  alarm.  They 
said  that  he  was  old  enough  to  encourage  the 
younger  ones  instead  of  frightening  them.  To  all 
this  he  said  nothing,  but  went  into  his  quarters 
and  did  not  even  come  to  the  supper. 

A  few  days  after  this  we  observed  a  peculiar 
large  fish,  swimming  close  to  our  junk.  We  at- 
tempted to  catch  it,  because  we  had  never  before 
seen  or  even  heard  of  the  existence  of  such  a  fish,  but 
without  success.  This  fish,  we  learned  afterwards, 
is  called  the  Sun-fish ;  it  looked  like  the  head  of  a 
big  ",Tai"  (Japanese  name  for  the  Serranus  Mar- 
ginalis}  without  other  parts  of  the  body,  and  it 
floated,  apparently,  with  much  difficulty — turning 
first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other. 

iqth  day  of  I2th  moon.  This  was  another 
gloomy  day  for  us.  It  had  been  raining  for  a 
day  or  so,  with  a  light  southerly  wind,  but  about 
8  a.m.  the  wind  began  to  haul  to  the  westward 
and  increased  as  the  day  advanced.  About  ten 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  53 


o'clock  the  rain  ceased,  and  when  I  went  forward 
to  look  at  the  weather,  I  observed  our  two  an- 
chors at  the  'bow,  floating  on  the  surface  of  the 
sea  on  account  of  the  swiftness  with  which  the 
vessel  was  drifting,  driven  by  the  force  of  the  wind. 
Every  now  and  then  the  waves  appeared  as  though 
they  would  swallow  us  up.  I  was  much  frightened 
at  the  sight  and  I  may  say  that  this  gale  seemed  to 
have  been  worse  than  any  of  the  previous  ones. 
We  were  all  at  our  prayers'  the  whole  day,  but 
luckily  nothing  specially-  unfortunate  happened. 
About  sunset  the  wind  ceased,  the  sea  became  calm, 
and  in  the  evening  the  sky  was  studded  with  stars, 
and  everything  looked  as  though  no  storni  had 
ever  raged.  After  the  gale  had  abated,  the  men 
inspected  the  vessel  to  see  if  any  injury  had  been, 
clone.  They  changed  the  Sure  (chafing-gear)  of 
the  anchor  proper,  and  then  we  all  went  to  supper 
and  afterwards  said  our  prayers.  , 

2oth  day  of  I2th  moon.  The  weather  was 
fine  after  the  previous  day's  gale  and  the  sea  was 
as  smooth  as  glass,  with  but  a  light  morning  breeze 
blowing.  After  breakfast  the  men  went  to  work  to 
lighten  the  hull  of  the  vessel  as  we  noticed  that 
she  began  to  creak  more  tban  we  thought  she 
should,  and  the  nails  seemed  to  have  loosened  great- 
ly, owing,  we  presumed,  to  rolling  so  many  days 
'on  the  ocean  without  any  rest.  They  brought  out 


54  THE    NARRATIVE 


some  hemp  ropes  and  with  them  tied  the  hull  all 
round  from  the  bottom  outside,  and  tightened  the 
ropes  at  the  capstan — both  crosswise  and  length- 
wise. This  work  took  us  nearly  all  day.  At  this 
time  some  of  our  officers  and  men  said  that  the 
junk  could  not  last  much  longer,  although  she  was 
new, — only  a  year  old  then.  This  was  not  at  all 
comforting  to  us;  still  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and 
some  said  the  only  thing  for  us  to  do  was  to  pray 
to  our  gods  for  speedy  deliverance.  How  soon 
that  deliverance  was  doming  and  in  what  strange 
form  we  little  knew. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  55 


VII. 

2 ist  day  of  1 2th  moon.  During  the  night  the 
weather  was  fine  and  the  sea  calm,  and  the  morning 
broke  clear  and  beautiful.  One  of  the  men  got  up 
early,  in  order  to  wash  and  pray  to  the  gods ;  and 
with  this  intention,  he  went  forward  before  the  sun 
was  up.  While  he  was  washing  his  whole  body 
with  salt  water  and  had  turned  to  the  West,  or  to- 
wards our  own  country  (for  we  had  been  drifting 
towards  the  East  ever  since  we  were  driven  off 
our  coast)  to  offer  up  his  prayers  to  our  country's 
gods,  he  suddenly  observed  something  white,  like 
a  rock  with  a  snow-capped  summit  right  ahead 
of  our  vessel,  for  she  was  drifting  sternwise.  The 
man  reported  at  once  in  the  cabin  where  most  of 
us  were  still  in  bed,  that  he  could  see  some  rock 
or  island  straight  ahead.  He  said  that  we  must 
have  passed  the  place  during  the  night,  and  in  his 
excitement  he  said  a  lot  more,  which  I  have  for- 
gotten. 

No  sooner  did  we  hear  his  words  than  every- 
body rushed  out  on  deck  to  see  what  was  in  in 
sight,  when  lo !  and  behold  !  it  was  not  a  rock  or 
an  island  at  all,  but  the  tall  masts  and  white  sails 
of  a  large  vessel  approaching  us.  The  sun  was 


56  THE    NARRATIVE 


just  rising  and  the  light  striking  upon  her  sails 
made  them  stand  out  clear  and  white.  While  we 
were  looking  at  the  approaching  vessel  and  discuss- 
ing what  she  might  be,  whither  she  was  going, 
and  whence  she  came,  she  gradually  approached 
our  junk  closer  and  closer,  until  her  black  hull 
which  lay  low  in  the  water  appeared,  and  then  in 
a  few  moments  more  she  was  abreast  of  our  craft. 
But  the  people  on  board  of  her  seemed  to  take 
very  little  if  any  notice  of  us.  We  could  now 
clearly  see  her  form  and  discovered  that  she  had 
three  very  tall  masts,  with  a  large  number  of  yards 
to  which  (were  fastened  a  great  many  sails,  besides 
other  three-cornered  sails  which  hung  from  the 
masts  in  different  positions.  The  sails  were  all  set. 
Her  officers  and  crew  were  on  deck  and  appeared 
to  be  very  different  from  any  people  we  had  ever 
before  seen,  or  even  heard  of.  We  were  all  more 
or  less  alarmed  at  the  whole  effect  of  the  strange 
vessel  so  huge  and  black,  and  the  strange  crea- 
tures on  board  of  her,  who  might  be,  for  all 
we  knew,  no  human  beings  at  all.  Still  we 
felt  that  we  must  not  lose  this  chance  of  saving  our- 
selves ;  so  we  shouted  to  t;he  stranger  in  our  native 
language;  "Save  its,  Save  us,"  and  made  signals 
with  some  old  clothes  fastened  to  bamboo  poles. 
The  stranger  quickly  recognized  these  signals  and 
the  men  on  board  made  signs  with  their  hands  to 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  57 


"Conic  off,  Come  off!  "  By  this  time  the  vessel  had 
passed  under  our  stern,  (for  it  will  be  remembered 
that  we  were  drifting  stern  foremost  with  the  drags 
out  at  our  bow),  and  was  about  500  to  600  yards 
distant,  whe;i  she  (the  stranger)  turned  her  head 
towards  the  north  and  presently  stopped. 

After  we  saw  that  she  was  waiting  to  save  us, 
we  began  to  prepare  to  leave  the  old  junk  forever. 
At  this  point  some  of  the  crew  began  to  say  that  if 
the  strangers  were  such  people  as  we  were  told  of  in 
old  story-books,  it  would  not  be  advisable  to  go,  and 
to  make  all  sorts  of  foolish  objections.  But  one 
of  the  ship's  company,  who  had  been  to  Nagasaki- 
where  he  had  seen  the  black  vessels  of  the  Hol- 
landers, said  that'  the  strange  vessel  must  be  a 
Hollander  either  going  home  to  Holland  from 
Nagasaki,  or  on  its  way  to  that  port  from  Holland, 
Others  said  whether  Hollander  or  not,  it  made  no 
difference,  for  our  vessel  would  not  last  more  than 
seven  or  eight  days  longer,  so  we  must 'take  this 
chance  of  saving  ourselves,  and  go  aboard  the 
stranger. 

Even  the  undaunted  spirit  of  the  Captain  had 
given  up  the  idea  of  remaining  on  board  the  old 
junk  until  death  relieved  him  from  his  responsibility, 
for  fifty  odd  days  of  experience  such  as  we  had  had, 
were  quite  enough  to  cause  any  person  however 
strong  minded  to  welcome  rescue  when  it  offered. 


THE    NARRATIVE 


In  half-an-hour  or  so,  our  boat  was  lowered 
and  the  necessary  preparations  made,  and  we 
stood  ready  to  bid  adieu  to  our  old  vessel. 


When  the  boat  was  in  the  water,  the  crew  hurried 
the  Captain  and  myself  and  made  us  get  into  her 
first,  he  being  the  oldest  of  ,the  party  and  I  the 
youngest.  Thus  it  happened  that  I  did  not  take 
anything  with  me  but  just  the  clothes  I  had  on  and 
a  few  coins  that  were  in  my  "  Kami-ire''  The 
Captain's  nephew,  the  second  officer  of  the  junk, 
got  some  bedding  and  a  few  clothes  for  the  skipper, 
After  the  Captain  and  I  were  in  the  boat,  the  rest 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  59 


immediately  followed,  excepting  some  greedy  old 
fellows  who  had  gone  into  the  cabin  and  were 
gathering  together  everything  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on  ;  some  even  went  forward  to  the  hatches, 
and  tried  to  take  out  the  coins  I  have  mentioned. 
While  they  were  doing  this,  we  who  were  in  the 
boat  waxed  very  impatient,  and  at  last  when  the 
boat  was  jammed  against  the  side  of  the  junk  and 
nearly  smashed,  we  shouted  out  that  if  the  others 
did  not  come  in  a  hurry  we  should  leave  them.  On 
this  they  left  unfinished  what  they  were  doing  and 
came  into  the  boat  with  their  clothes  and  bedding 
only.  After  all  hands  were  in  the  boat  we  parted 
company  from  the  old  junk  and  sculled  away  towards 
stranger. 

As  we  approached  her,  she  turned  round,  or 
"  tacked"  and  came  towards  us  to  meet  our  boat, 
and  get  on  our  weather  side ;  when  she  was  near 
enough  to  us,  one  of  her  crew  threw  us  a  line  from 
her  bow,  which  our  men  caught  and  fastened  to  a 
pin.  This  brought  our  boat  alongside  the  ship  on 
her  lee-side.  At  this  time  we  observed  that  the 
stranger  made  herself  stand  still  (hove  to)  as  though 
she  were  at  anchor  in  port,  by  means  of  her  -sails. 
To  us  it  seemed  that  the  forward  sails  were  set  to 
catch  the  wind  from  that  part  of  the  ship  and  the 
other  sails  (mainmast)  were  set  to  catch  the  wind 
from  the  after  part  of  the  ship.  Thus  she  stood  per- 


6O  THE-  NARRATIVE 


fectly  still  in  mid-ocean.  This  method  of  handling  a 
vessel  struck  us  as  being  most  wonderful,  and  we 
talked  about  it  a  great  deal  both  then  and  afterwards. 

As  soon  as  our  boat  was  alongside,  we  scram- 
bled one  by  one  on  board.  The  Captain  and 
officers  came  to  the  gang- way  and  received  us.  We 
knelt  down,  put  our  hands  together,  bowed  our  heads 
in  the  usual  form  of  our  salutation,  and  thanked 
them  for  .their  kindness  in  thus  saving  us.  They 
led  us  to  one  part  of  the  ship — the  quarter  deck — 
and  when  we  got  there,  the  Captain  made  signs 
which  we  took  to  be  an  inquiry  as  to  whether  we 
had  any  goods,  curios,  water,  or  precious  metals 
left  in  our  vessel.  We  replied  by  signs  that 
we  had — plenty.  He  seemed  to  understand  what 
we  meant,  for  he  consulted  with  one  of  the  other 
officers,  and  in  a  few  moments  that  officer  and  two 
of  the  crew  got  into  our  boat,  left  the  barque  and 
began  to  scull  towards  the  junk. 

They  went  about  a  third  of  a  mile,  and  then 
the  craft  became  unmanageable  on  account  of  their 
being  unaccustomed  to  handle  such  a  large  boat 
with  sculling  oars  in  the  Japanese  fashion.  As  they 
could  neither  go  forward  nor  come  back  but  re- 
mained in  this,  situation  for  a  long  time,  the 
Captain  became  impatient,  wore  his  ship,  and  ap- 
proached the  weather  side  of  the  boat.  When  we 
were  within  some  hundred  yards  or  so  of  her,  he 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  6 1 


made  one  of  the  crew  cast  a  line  tied  to  a  piece  of 
board.  This  one  of  the  men  in  the  boat  caught, 
and  then  they  were  hauled  back  to  die  barque 
without  reaching  the  junk  at  all.  The  Captain 
ordered  the  mate  to  take  out  all  oars,  loose  boards, 
etc.  belonging  to  our  boat,  and  then  she  was  cast 
adrift.  After  that  the  barque  squared  her  yards 
and  resumed  her  course  toward  the  East,  and  as 
the  wind  gradually  freshened  to  a  fine  breeze,  she 
slid  along  the  water  very  nicely. 

I  have  said  that  the  vessel  which  we  had  got 
on  board  had  three  masts.  Two  of  them  had 
yards,  and  the  third  had  only  a  peak-yard  to  which 
was  fastened  a  kind  of  a  three-cornered  sail.  The 
ship  lay  low  on  the  water,  was  painted  black,  and 
had  a  crew  consisting  of  a  Captain,  two  mates,  six 
men,  a  cook  and  a  boy.  The  appearance  of  the 
officers  and  men  was  all  alike  to  us ;  most  of  them 
wore  beards,  flannel  shirts  (some  dark  and  some 
red),  and  black  pantaloons  with  suspenders  across 
their  shoulders.  The  Captain  had  on  long  boots 
into  which  his  trousers  were  tucked ;  most  of  the 
rest  wore  shoes,  but  some  were  in  their  bare  feet, 
even  in  that  cold  weather. 

The  Captain  was  lean  and  tall,  had  sandy  hair, 
beard,  and  moustache;  was  about  forty  years  of 
age,  and  wore  clothes  similar  to  those  of  the  rest 
of  the  crew.  He  had  something  in  his  mouth 


62  THE   NARRAflVE 


(a  cigar)  at  which  he  puffed  continually,  and  some- 
times he  blew  smoke  out  of  his  mouth  as  he 
walked  to  and  fro  on  the  quarter  deck. 

The  first  officer  was  a  large  man  6  ft.  2 
in.  in  height,  about  thirty-five  years  old.  He 
had  black  hair,  but  a  beardless  clean  face,  quite 
white,  with  red  lips,  and  looked  more  like  a  woman 
than  a  man.  He  was  dressed  tike  the  Captain  ex- 
cept that  on  his  feet  he  wore  shoes.  He  had  some- 
thing in  his  mouth  (tobacco)  which  he  continually 
chewed,  and  he  was  for  ever  spitting. 

The  second  officer  was  a  small  man,  about 
5  ft.  3  .inches  in  height,  with  red  hair,  and  a 
sandy  beard  and  moustache.  He  was  about  forty 
years  old,  and  was  dressed  like  the  Captain  and 
first  mate.  He  was  very  quick  in  his  motions,  and 
we  found  him  to  be  kind  in  the  extreme,  talkative 
and  inquisitive. 

The  boy  in  the  cabin  was  about  seventeen  years 
of  age.  He  had  darjc  hair,  and  a  nice,  clean,  beard- 
less face,  and  wore  a  dress  similar  to  that  of  the 
rest  of  the  crew,  but  was  without  suspenders  to  his 
trousers,  and  had  no  shoes  on  his  feet.  He  look- 
ed to  us  more  like  a  girl  than  a  man  or  a  boy.  He 
was  great  at  climbing,  for  he  always  went  up  aloft 
to  handle  the  sails  on  the  very  top  yards  (royals). 

The  crew  were  of  the  same  appearance  as  the 
mates.  The  vessel  had  a  cook  who  was  very 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  63 


different  from  all  the  rest  in  his  dress  and  hair,  and 
looked  more  like  our  own  people.  He  wore 
broad  pantaloons,  and  a  wide-sleeved  upper  garment 
cut  short.  His  head  was  shaved  on  all.  sides  and  on 
the  top,  excepting  in  the  centre  of  the  crown  where 
the  hair  grew  very  long,  and  was  plaited  and  wound 
around  on  his  head.  He  spoke  a  different  lan- 
guage from  the  rest.  He  was  short  of  stature, 
and  about  forty  years  of  age. 

All  the  men  looked  very  rough  and  odd 
and  we  were  somewhat  afraid  of  them,  notwith- 
standing that  we  outnumbered  them,  and  that  they 
were  kind  and  attentive  to  us.  For  we  had  never 
beheld  such  creatures  before  or  even  heard  of  such; 
and  their  appearance  and  dress  were  so  entirely 
different  from  ours  and  so  strange. 


64  THE  NARRATIVE 


VIII. 

After  the  barque  had  been  put  upon  her  proper 
course,  and  the  excitemerit  of  getting  us  on  board 
had  subsided,  the  Captain  summoned  the  cook  to 
the  quarter-deck.  He  came  to  where  we  were, 
bringing  with  him  a  writing  brush,  India-ink  and 
paper,  and  at  the  Captain's  order  he  wrote  some- 
thing on  the  paper  in  Chinese  characters.  This  we 
read  "Gold  mountain."  Then  he  wrote  something 
more  but  we  could  not  make  out  anything  except 
"Rice,"  "Interest"  and  "A#  "  to  increase  or  add, 
and  did  not  at  all  understand  what  was  meant. 

When  he  wrote  "  Gold  mountain,"  he  pointed 
to  the  ship.  Some  of  our  party  said  this  meant  that 
the  vessel  was  called  by  that  name,  for  we  did  not 
truly  comprehend  his  meaning,  viz  :  that  the  vessel 
was  bound  to  California,  the  country  of  gold 
mountains,  until  we  reached  San  Francisco  long 
afterwards. 

After  the  cook  had  finished  his  writing,  the 
Captain  of  the  barque  came  to  our  Captain  who 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  65 


was  the  oldest  of  our  party,  being  then  over  sixty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  made  a  sign  to  him  to 
follow.  So  we  all  went  and  he  led  us  towards 
the  main  hatch,  which  was  covered  with  a 
tarpaulin.  Pointing  to  the  hatchway,  he  made  a 
motion  of  eating,  and  spoke  the  word  "  plenty :'" 
and  from  this  place  he  led  us  further  on  to  the 
Cook's  galley,  where  were  several  water  casks 
lashed  on  both  sides  of  it ;  these  he  tapped  with 
his  hand,  made  a  motion  of  drinking,  and  repeated 
the  word  "plenty."  He  smiled,  and  in  reply  we 
bowed.  These  signs  and  his  manner  we  under- 
stood to  mean  that  the  vessel  had  enough  provis- 
sions  in  the  hold  and  plenty  of  water  for  our  use,  so 
that  we  need  not  be  afraid  of  either  eating  or 
drinking. 

After  he  had  showed  us  these  things,  we  came 
back  to  the  quarter  deck.  Here  we  squatted  down 
and  looked  back  at  the  old  junk,  thinking  that  in 
the  evening  the  vessel  which  had  picked  us  up 
would  reach  her  destination,  since  we  had  been  on 
the  wreck  for  so  long  a  time  as  fifty-one  days,  and, 
during  that  period  we  thought  we  must  have  drift- 
ed thousands  of  miles.  By  and  by  the  Captain 
beckoned  us  to  follow  him  into  the  cabin.  It 
was  the  first  time  that  we  had  ever  seen  such 
a  nice,  clean,  beautiful,  cozy  little  cabin.  It  was 
built  of  handsome  woods,  panelled  and  varnish- 


66  THE>  NARRATIVE 


ed ;  there  were  velvet  cushions  on  the  side  seats 
— but  we  were  much  surprised  to  see  that  there 
were  lots  of  chests  piled  up  in  the  cabin,  all 
packed  full.  He  motioned  us  to  sit  down ;  some 
did  so,  some  remained  standing  up,  and  some 
squatted  on  the  floor.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
second  Mate,  who  had  spread  a  chart  on  the  table, 
began  to  explain  something  to  us.  But  of  the 
various  places  to  which  he  pointed,  the  only  name 
that  we  could  understand  was  "  Ah-me-ri-ka  "  since 
some  of  our  men  had  heard  that  several  years  be- 
fore (in  1846  or  thereabouts)  the  American  war- 
ships, "Columbus"  and  "Vincennes"  had  come  to 
Uraga,  and  they  remembered  the  name  of  the 
country  from  which  they  came. 

The  Mate  first  pointed  out  a  large  tract  of  land 
and  said  "America,"  and  at  the  same  time  pointed 
to  the  ship.  From  this  we  understood  that  the 
vessel  belonged  to  that  country.  The  next  country 
he  pointed  to  was  a  small  spot;  he  said  "Japan," 
and  "Jeddo,"  and  pointed  at  us.  This  we  did  not 
understand  exactly,  but  supposed  that  he  meant 
this  to  be  our  country,  although  the  name  he  used 
was  wrong,  for  we  never  knew  our  country  by  such 
a  name,  and  the  spot  on  the  chart  seemed  alto- 
gether too  small  for  Dai  Nippon  (since  we  were 
told  and  taught  to  believe  that  our  country  was 
large).  He  then  pointed  out  a  large  tract  of  land, 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  67 


West  of  "Japan,"  and  pronounced  the  name 
"  China."  We  did  not  understand  what  country 
he  meant,  because  we  never  had  heard  of  such  a 
place  as  "China,"  for  amongst  our  common 
people,  and  in  fact  amongst  all  Japanese,  the 
names  by  which  we  called  China  were  "  Kara," 
"Nanking,"  or  "To-goku." 

After  he  had  pointed  out  China,  he  pointed  to 
a  lot  of  small  islands  to  the  southward,  and  made 
signs  that  the  inhabitants  thereof  eat  men.  When 
we  heard  this,  we  became  somewhat  afraid  of  the 
strangers  and  some  of  our  companions  raised  the 
question  as  to  whether  this  might  not  be  a  forewarn- 
ing for  us,  and  whether,  in  case  our  voyage  hap- 
pened to  be  a  long  one,  and  the  provisions  gave 
out,  tne  strangers  would  not  eat  us?  Owing  to 
this  some  of  us  talked  together  and  left  the  cabin 
and  went  on  deck,  where  we  discussed  the  con- 
tingency. Some  thought  they  might  eat  *is,  but 
others  said  the  vessel  had  provisions  enough, 
since  the  Captain  had  pointed  to  the  hold  a  few 
minutes  before,  and  as  we  had  been  drifting  for 
fifty  days  or  more,  it  could  not  be  long  until  we 
reached  the  land. 

After  the  Mate  had  finished  showing  us  the 
chart  all  went  on  deck.  Sqme  of  us  strolled  about 
to  see  everything,  and  all  that  we  saw  was  new 
and  strange.  Others  squatted  on  deck— looking 


THE   NARRATIVE 


back  towards  the  old  junk — and  talked  of  the  vast 
change  in  our  feelings  between  the  time  when  we 
were  on  the  old  vessel,  and  now,  when  we  were 
on  the  strange  ship. 

When  our  men  observed  the  compass  and 
saw  how  easily  the  vessel  was  steered — by  only 
one  man  at  the  wheel — we  all  admired  her  con- 
struction, and  spoke  of  how  nicely  and  minutely  the 
compass  was  divided  into  32  points,  while  our  own 
had  but  12.  One  thing  that  surprised  us  very 
much  was  the  difference  between  the  number  of 
men  employed  on  thi$  vessel  and  on  our  own.  Ours 
was  much  the  smaller,  yet  by  regulation  or  custom 
we  had  sixteen  officers  and  men,-  and  ahvays  re- 
quired from  two  to  three,  or  even  five  persons  at  the 
tiller,  according  to  the  condition  of  the  sea,  while 
this,  a  much  larger  craft,  had  a  crew  of  only  eleven 
officers  and  men,  all  told,  and  one  man  at  the  helm 
seemed  sufficient  to  steer  her.  The'  masts  and' 
sails,  too,  astonished  us ;  our  junk  had  but  one  big 
mast,  and  a  single  yard,  on  which  was  one  large, 
awkward  sail,  at  times  very  difficult  to  manage ; 
while  the  barque  had  several  masjs,  and  a  number 
of  smaller  yards  to  which  were  fastened  many  nicely 
cut  sails  which  were  easily  and  conveniently  hand- 
led. 

One  of  our  men  went  up  to  the  steersman  and 
inquired,  by  signs,   how  many  days  it  would   be 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  69 


before  the  barque  reached  her  destination.  The 
man  seemed  to  understand  what  our  friend  wished 
to  know,  and  made  some  signs  with  his  hands, 
one  arm,  and  his  head.  He  rested  his  head  upon 
his  arm  to  indicate  "sleeping"  and  put  up  his  fin- 
gers to  show  "forty-two  "  to  signify  that  we  should 
have  to  sleep  forty-two  times,  which  we  understood 
to  mean  that  it  would  be  forty-two  days  before  we 
reached  port.  We  could  not  believe  it  at  the  time, 
but  it  happened  to  be  exactly  forty-two  days  before 
we  arrived  at  San  Francisco.  Our  reason  for  not 
believing  the  man  was  that  we  had  been  over  fifty 
days  on  the  wreck,  drifting  daily.  And  we  thought 
we  must  be  thousands  of  miles  away  from  our 
country ;  and  because  we  were  so  far  from  home 
we  thought  we  had  reached  the  neighbourhood  of 
some  strange  land  and  had  been  picked  up  by  one 
of  its  vessels  coasting,  as  we  were  accustomed  to 
think  of  our  own  vessels  doing.  We  never  knew 
that  any  vessel  could  sail  without  seeing  the  land 
for  so  many  days,  and  therefore  we  thought  the 
land  must  be  near  and  the  vessel's  destination  not 
very  far  off. 

Before  very  long  our  old  vessel — the  junk, 
was  out  of  sight.  At  a  little  before  midday  the 
Captain  and  Mate  of  the  barque  brought  on  deck 
some  instrument  through  which  they  looked  to- 
ward the  South  several  times.  By  and  by  the  Mate 


7O  THE   NARRATIVE 


said  something  to  the  man  at  the  wheel,  and  he  at 
once  struck  the  bell  by  his  side  eight  times  ;  in  a  few 
seconds  the  big  bell  in  the  forward  part  of  the  ship 
was  struck  the  same  number  of  times.  The  Cap- 
tain and  Mate  then  went  below  with  their  instru- 
ments. 

When  we  saw  what  the  officers  did  with  the 
instruments  we  began  to  guess  what  it  was  for. 
Some  of  us  said  that  the  land  could  be  seen  through 
them ;  others  said  that  tha.t  could  not  be,  but 
that  they  looked  at  the  Sun  to  measure  its  distance, 
or  that  they  measured  the  time.  We  concluded 
that  the  latter  was  most  probable,  because  they 
ordered  the  man  to  strike  the  bell,  but  although  we 
had  long  discussions  none  of  us  could  guess  cor- 
rectly,— not  knowing  that  they  took  the  altitude  of 
the  Sun  to  determine  the  Latitude. 

The  men  forward  now  went 'to  dinner,  and  the 
man  at  the  wheel  was  changed.  At  about  half  past 
twelve  the  cabin  boy  came  up  to  where  we  were  all 
sitting  on  the  quarter-deck  and  made  a  sign  to  me 
to  come  down  into  the  cabin.  So  I  followed  him 
and  he  led  me  into  a  small  room — his  pantry. 
There  he  gave  me  a  piece  of  cake-like  stuff 
(soft  bread)  upon  which  he  spread  some  oily  sub- 
stance (butter)  and  on  the  top  of  that  he  put  some 
brown  sugar.  He  signed  to  me  to  eat  it,  and  at 
the  same  time  he  gave  me  a  plate  of  soup,  and 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  71 


then  he  went  forward  to  the  cooking-place  (galley) 
to  get  other  eatables  for  the  Captain  and  Mate,  who 
were  having  their  dinner  in  the  cabin.  I  took  up 
the  bread  and  began  to  eat  it,  when  I  smelt  a  very 
strong  unpleasant  odour.  This  stopped  me  from 
eating  and  I  put  the  bread  into  the  sleeve  of  my 
outside  garment,  and  commenced  to  take  the  soup. 
That  tasted  very  nice,  since  it  did  not  have  such  a 
strong  smell  as  the  bread  had.  It  was  made  from 
beans,  salt  meat,  and  fried  bread  cut  into .  fine  dice- 
like  pieces  which  floated  on  the  soup  and  made  it 
smell  very  ko-ba-shi-i  (nice,  fragrant,  odorous). 

When  the  cabin  boy  came  back  from  the 
galley  he  asked  me  if  I  had  eaten  the  bread,  and 
I  replied  by  nodding  that  I  had.  I  quickly  went 
on  deck  in  order  that  I  might  throw  the  nasty  stuff 
into  the  sea — which  I  did  without  anyone  observing 
me.  No  sooner  had  I  come  on  deck  than  my  com- 
panions one  and  all  asked  me  what  the  boy  wanted 
me  for.  I  told  them  what  he  had  given  me  to 
eat.  I  said  that  I  had  to  throw  away  the  bread 
on  account  of  the  unbearable  smell  (of  salt  butter), 
but  that  the  soup  was  mighty  nice.  Then  one  of 
our  party  asked  me  what  was  in  the  soup,  and 
when  I  described  it,  he  said  that  the  flesh-like  things 
in  it  were  probably  cattle-meat,  and  if  that  were  so, 
I  had  committed  a  great  sin  in  eating  it  and,  in  con- 
sequence, I  should  be  obliged  to  abstain  from  pray- 


72  THE   NARRATIVE 


ing  to,  our  gods  or  worshipping  them,  since  we 
were  taught  that  any  one  who  ate  the  flesh  of  four- 
footed  animals  has  to  abstain  from  praying,  visiting 
temples,  or  making  any  offering  to  the  gods  for  at 
least  seventy-five  days  from  the  time ;  this  was  on 
account  of  animal  flesh  being  considered  unclean. 

After  I  heard  that,  I  felt  very  sad  and  be- 
gan to  think  "What  shall  I  do?  The  good 
gods  have  saved  me  from  a  watery  grave,  and  I 
cannot  pray  to  them,  or  return  thanks  to  them,  or 
do  anything  to  show  my  gratitude?"  However, 
the  deed  was  done,  and  there  was  no  remedy  but 
to  abstain  from  praying  to  the  gods  as  the  man 
had  said  must  be  done.  Still,  this  did  not  seem  to 
satisfy  my  Conscience  in  any  way,  and  I  was  won- 
dering how  I  could  find  some  remedy,  when'  a 
happy  thought  crept  into  my  mind  and  I  remember- 
ed a  saying  that  I  had  often  heard  from  the  lips  of 
old  people  at  home,  viz.:  Shira-nu-ga  hoto-ke,  equi- 
valent to  "bless  the  ignorant"  or  "  that  which  is 
done  in  ignorance  has  no  harm."  In  this  case  I 
did  not  know  what  it  was  I  had  eaten  ;  had  I  known 
it  was  animal's  flesh,  I  would  not  have  touched  it. 
With  this  thought  in  my  mind  I  went  forward,  drew 
a  bucketful  of  salt  water,  washed  my  hands  and 
rinsed  my  mouth,  and  turning  towards  our  country 
(the  West)  I  prayed  to  the  gods  of  Dai-Nippon 
(Great  Japan)  to  forgive  the  sin  I  had  unwittingly 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  73 


committed.     After  I  had  done  this  my  conscience 
was  somewhat  consoled  and  I* felt  much  better. 

The  Captain  and  Mate,  after  they  had  finished 
their  mid-day  meal,  came  on  deck.  The  former 
lighted  a  cigar,  and  the  latter  put  some  tobacco  into 
his  mouth  and  began  to  chew  and  to  spit.  They 
walked  to  and  fro  on  the  deck.  This  custom  of 
walking  we  had  never  observed  in  any  place  before, 
and  did  not  know  what  it  was  done  for,  there- 
fore a  discussion  about  it  arose  among  ourselves. 
Some  thought  that  they  were  walking  to  measure 
the  speed  the  vessel  was  making,  but  others  said ; 
"  How  could  one  ever  measure  the  distance  by 
merely  -walking  on  the  deck?"  Neither  party 
would  give  way  to  the  other,  and  as  no  satisfactory 
conclusion  was  reached  the  matter  was  dropped. 

After  the  men  had  had  dinner,  the  Cap- 
tain gave  orders  to  prepare  our  quarters.  He  as- 
signed six  of  us  to  the  room  which  was  vacant  in 
the  cabin  and  into  this  our  old  Captain,  our  three 
junior  officers,  one  of  the  crew,  and  myself  were 
settled.  The  rest,  eleven  in  number,  were  provided 
for  in  one  of  the  ship's  boats.  There  were  two  of 
these  on  the  deck  just  abaft  the  galley.  The  men 
turned  one  bottom  upwards  over  the  other  and 
stretched  'a  piece  of  canvas  sail  over  both  to 
prevent  any  water  from  coming  in.  They  laid  the 
planks  which  they  had  taken  out  of  our  old  boat 


THE   NARRATIVE 


on  the  floor  of  the  lower  boat,  and  on  these  our 
people  placed  their  bedding,  thus  making  a  nice 
cabin  and  very  comfortable  quarters. 

About  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Captain 
ordered  the  cook  to  serve  out  our  rations  for 
supper.  These  consisted  of  boiled  sweet  potatoes, 
yams,  ship's  biscuit  ("hard  tack"),  butter,  salt  meat, 
and  coffee.  These,  together  witji  a  large  tub  of 
boiled  rice  we  had  taken  from  the  junk,  made  our 
first  meal  on  board  the  barque.  But  we  did  not  touch 
the  meat  and  the  butter.  After  supper,  we  offered 
prayers  and  then  went  comfortably  to  bed  feeling, 
for/the  first  time  in  fifty-one  days,  quite  safe. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  got  up  and  after 
remembering  to  heartily  thank  our  gods  for  their 
protection  we  sat  down  to  breakfast.  We  saw 
'that  the  weather  was  unchanged  from  the  previous 
day,  that  all  the  sails  were  set,  and  the  yards  near- 
ly squared,  and  that  the  barque  was  going  merrily 
along. 

Not  long  after  we  had  finished  breakfast,  the 
Captain  went  forward  with  the  same  instrument 
he  had  used  at  noon  the  day  beforSy  and  began  to 
look  towards  the  East,  or  where  the  sun  was.  We 
thought  that  he  was  looking  for  the  land  ahead  as 
we  had  heard  that  in  Holland  such  powerful  glasses 
were  made  that  one  could  see  things  thousands  of 
miles  off;  and  it  was  a  common  saying  among  the 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  75 


people  of  our  country  that  that  kind  of  glass  at- 
tracts distant  views  and  brings  far-away  objects 
near  by  reason  of  the  power  of  the  glass.  The 
Captain  looked  through  the  instrument  for  a  few 
seconds.  Then  he  called  out  some  words  which  the 
cabin  boy  who  stood  at  the  entrance  to  the  cabin, 
repeated  to  the  Mate  who  was  in  the  Captain's 
room  looking  at  some  other  instrument,  and  he 
made  a  reply  in  a  similar  tone.  This  was  done 
three  times  and  then  the  Captain  came  back  to  his 
cabin  with  the  instrument  he  had  been  using.  x  After 
this  the  Captain  and  Mate  looked  into  a  printed 
book  (almanac]  and  seemed  to  calculate  some- 
thing and  then  they  wrote  in  another  book.  This 
we  learned  afterwards  was  what  is  called  taking  an 
observation  to  determine  the  longitude,  just  as  on 
the  previous  day  at  noon  they  had  done  very  much 
the  same  thing  to  learn  the  latitude. 

While  the  Captain  and  Mate  were  calculating 
and  talking  we  discussed  among  ourselves  what 
they  were  probably  doing,  and  some  of  my  com- 
panions said  that  the  instrument  was  a  wonderful 
glass,  such  as  I  have  described  above,  for  when 
they  were  at  Nagasaki  some  years  before,  they 
had  learned  that  in  foreign  countries,  especially  in 
Holland,  such  glasses  were  made.  So  the  Captain 
must  have  seen  the  land  ahead,  and  4ie  knew  where 
we  Were.  This  was  how  it  was  that  foreigners 


76  THE   NARRATIVE 


could  sail  on  the  high  seas  for  days  and  days  without 
seeing  the  land  and  yet  reach  their  destination  all 
right.  When  the  Captain  and  Mate  had  fixed  the 
latitude  and  longitude,  the  Mate  brought  out  a  large 
book,  in  which  he  wrote  something  which  he  copied 
from  a  stone  board  (i.e.  the  log-slate}.  We  had 
much  conjecture  and  discussion  as  to  what  the 
Mate  was  doing,  and  some  of  my  companions 
thought  he  was  writing,  or  copying  down  the 
number  of  waves  he  had  taken  notice  of  while 
he  was  on  watch,  for  the  English  writing  seemed 
like  the  waves,  up  and  down,  and  running  sidewise. 
But  others  maintained,  as  they  had  done  before, 
that  the  writing  was  to  note  down  the  distance 
the  vessel  had  made  during  the  previous  day  and 
night,  which  was  measured  and  counted  by  the  deck 
officer,  or  watch,  and  the  Captain  by  walking  the 
deck  backwards  and  forwards.  We  learned  after- 
wards- what  it  was  that  the  Mate  was  really  doing. 
In  the  forenoon,  while  we  were  on  deck  look- 
ing i  at  the  ship  sliding  nicely  along  the  water,  with 
yards  almost  squared  and  all  sails  set  before  the 
westerly  wind,,  the  second  Mate  came  to  us  with  a 
large  book  (Atlas)  under  his  arm  and  squatted 
down  beside  us.  He  opened  the  book  and  began 
to  explain  something  pointing  to  the  picture  .of 
a  large  tract  »of  land—- and  saying  ''America, 
America,"  and  then  pointing  to  himself  and  to  the 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  77 


ship.  This  we  understood  to  mean  that  the  ship 
and  he  belonged  to  that  country,  so  we  nodded. 
Then  he  smiled  and  seerrfed  much  pleased  at  our 
understanding  him.  Again  he  pointed  to  the  vessel 
and  then  towards  the  East,  or  ship's  head,  and  said 
"California."  This  too  we  understood;  that  the 
vessel  was  bound  to  a  country  called  by  that  name. 
So  we  smiled  and  nodded  again ;  but  just  at  this 
moment  he  was  called  forward  for  some  duty,  and 
he  went  of£  and  our  lesson  was  suspended. 

The  next  morning,  while  we  were  taking 
breakfast,  lo  and  behold !  the  very  man  who  had 
'frightened  me  so  the  day  we  got  on  board  the 
barque  about  the  crime  of  eating  the  flesh  of  four- 
footed  animals,  himself  began  to  eat  the  salt  beef 
which  was  served  to  us.  He  said  that  although  it 
was  not  right,  according  to  our  country's  customs 
to  eat,  or  even  to  touch  such  unclean  food,  yet 
"when  one  comes  to  'Go,'  he  must  do  what  *G0' 
does,"  (i.e.  Do  in  Rome  as  the  Romans  do)  and 
so  saying  he  plunged  his  Igiife  and  fork  into  the 
meat,  cut  away  a  piece  and  ate  it,  and  relished  jneat 
ever  afterwards  more  than  any  of  the  rest  of  us. 
After  I  saw  him,  and  others  too  commencing  to 
eat  meat,  I  felt  more  contented  and  happy  about 
the  matter  of  my  having  eaten  some  that  first  day, 
and  my  conscience  ceased  to  reprove  me ;  still  for 
a  long  time  I  did  not  touch  any  meat. 


78  THE   NARRATIVE 


IX. 

A  little  before  noon  the  second  Mate  brought 
some  old  clothes  dut  of  his  room  and  made  a  sign 
to  me  to  come  and  take  off  the  Japanese  clothing 
I  had  on.  I  obeyed  him,  and  he  put  on  me  a 
flannel  shirt,  a  pair  of  cloth  trousers,  and  a  cloth 
jacket.  All  of  these  were  of  course  much  too 
large  for  me,  although  he  was  smaller  than  the 
average  man  of  his  race.  He  marked  the  clothes 
here  and  there  with  some  white  stuff  (^chalk)  and 
told  me  by  a  sign  to  take  them  off  again.  This  I 
did,  and  he  took  them  away  to  his  room  to  alter 
them  by  cutting  and  sewing.  By  the  next  after- 
noon he  had  completed  the  alterations  and  I  put  the 
clothes  on  again,  when  he  found  that  they  fitted  me 
nicely.  He  looked  at  me  and  exclaimed,  "  Now 
you  one  Yankee  boy  ! "  and  he  smiled.  I  did  not 
understand  what  he  said  at  the  time,  but  I  remem- 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  79 


bered  the  sound  of  the  words  and  afterward  I 
learned  their  meaning.  This  was  the  first  time  in 
my  life  that  I  had  ever  put  on  foreign  clothing,  and 
I  felt  much  tightness  about  my  body;  still  they 
were  much  warmer  than  my  own  garment,  besides 
being  more  convenient  for  working.  I  thanked  the 
Mate  by  nodding  and  bowing  for  thus  making  me 
a  comfortable  dress.  Then  he  patted  my  shoulder, 
said,  "all  right,"  and  beckoned  me  to  follow  him 
to  the  cabin,  which  I  did.  When  we  entered  we 
found  the  Captain  and  first  Mate  seated  and  busily 
writing.  The  second  Officer  said  something  to 
them  and  at  the  same  time  pointed  at  me;  they 
looked  at  me  and  smiled  and  the  Captain  came  up 
to  me  and  shook  hands,  at  the  same  time  saying 
something  which  I  did  not  understand,  except  that 
they  both  said  at  the  end  "  very  nice." 

On  the  following  morning,  while  we  were  all  on 
the  quarter  deck  talking  amongst  ourselves  my 
new  friend — the  second  Mate — came  to  me  and 
said  something;  pointing  at  my  head  and  pulling 
his  own  hair.  I  did  not  know  at  all  what  it  was 
that  he  said,  but  I  nodded — thinking  that  perhaps 
he  meant  to  say  my  hair  was  darker  than  his,  or 
that  he  wore  his  hair  in  a  different  style  from  mine. 
No  sooner  did  he  see  me  nodding  at  him,  agreeing 
as  he  supposed,  to  what  he  said,  than  he  went 
to  his  room,  and  in  a  few  seconds  came  back 


8O  THE    NARRATIVE 


with  a  pair  of  scissors  and  a  stool.  He  signed  to 
me^to  sit  down  upon  it. 

I  did  so  and  he  then  cut  off  my  top-knot,  and 
clipped  my  hair  short  all  round  my  head.  Then 
he  brought  sweet  oil  and  'rubbed  it  into  my  hair, 
and  combed  it  and  brushed  it.  When  I  saw  the 
scissors,  I  wanted  to  stop  his  cutting  off  my  top- 
knot, in  that  whilst  on  the  wreck  I  had  made  a 
vow  to  our  gods  that  if  ever  haply  I  might 
reach  our  native-land  in  safety,  I  should  offer  that 
top-knot  up  as  an  offering.  But  I  was  afraid  to 
stop  him,  on  account  of  not  understanding  his 
tongue,  for  he  might  misconstrue  my  mean- 
ing even  as  he  had  misunderstood  what  my 
thoughts  were  when  I  had  nodded  a  few  moments 
before. 

But  what  that  Mate  had  just  done  vexed  me 
sorely.  Though  he  had  been  kind  and  had  acted 
with  no  ill  intention  on  his  part,  still  he  had  no 
right  to  cut  that  top-knot  off, — that  top-icnot  which 
I  had  vowed  to  the  gods,  if  perchance  I  should  once 
more  get  back  to  jny  country.  And  now  before 
ever  that  vow  could  be  fulfilled  the  stranger  goes  and 
cuts  it  off! 

However  I  reflected  that  had  we  known  each 
other's  language  this  misunderstanding  would  not 
have  happened.  Wherefore  I  went  forward  and 
washed  my  hands  and  my  mouth  and  prayed  to  the 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  8 1 


gods  and  begged  their  forgiveness  for  the  sin  that 
had  been  unwittingly  committed. 

26th  day  of  the  1 2th  moon.  About  9.30  a.m. 
we  heard  a  loud  screaming  forward,  so  we  went  to 
find  out  what  was  the  matter.  To  our  amazement 
and  horror  we  found  that  Chinese  cook  in  the  very 
act  of  killing  one  of  these  pigs  on  board  for.  food ! 
Such  a  thing  we  had  never  witnessed  with  our  eyes 
before,  although  we  had  heard  that  in  some  of  the 
far-off  provinces  of  our  country  such  as  Satsuma 
and  Loochoo  the  people  ate  pigs  and  rats.  But 
we  as  dwellers  on  the  mainland  and  religious  men 
never  did  such  cruel  deeds. 

After  seeing  the  gruesome  work  of  that 
Chinese  cook,  we  began  to  talk  among  ourselves 
and  to  be  afraid  of  the  strangers.  One  of  our 
elders  solemnly  shook  his  head  and  affirmed  that 
if  our  course  across  the  deep  should  be  long  these 
strangers  would  assuredly  fall  upon  us  and  slay  us 
and  devour  us. 

2()th  day  of  i/ic  i2th  moon.  The  weather 
began  to  change  for  the  worse.  Rain  came  down  and 
the  light  wind  from  the  S.S.W.  increased  in  force 
apace  as  the  day  advanced.  At  1 1  o'clock  it  was 
a  gale.  Then  the  rain  ceased  and  presently  the 
wind  veered  to  the  West  and  it  became  fine.  Then 
it  became  necessary  for  the  ship  to  heave  to.  This 
manoeuvre  was  a  great  novelty  to  us  and  as  sailor- 


82  THE   NARRATIVE 


we  all  watched  it  closely  and  with  great  in- 
terest. The  barque  took  in  all  her. sails,  and  set 
a  three-cornered  sail  on  the  main-mast  beloxthe 
main-yard,  and  reefed  the  jib  and  let  the  vessel 
come  up  to  the  wind.  One  man  only  was  at  the 
wheel,  while  all  the  others  went  below,  some  to 
sleep  and  others  to  read  as  though  nothing  was 
going  on.  And  the  vessel  rode  the  sea  with  ease 
without  any  creaking  whatsoever  till  the  gale  died 
away.  What  a  difference  between  our  old  junk 
and  this  barque !  We  were  all  lost  in  astonishment 
and  admiration  at  the  beauty  of  the  manoeuvre. 

A  few  days  after  this,  when  the  weather  was 
fine  and  calm,  the.  Captain  ordered  the  men  to  open 
the  hatches  to  let  air  into  the  hold.  Then  we  look- 
ed down  into  it,  and  we  saw  that  she  had  an 
abundance  of  eatable  cargo  such  as  tea  and  sugar 
and  rice  and  biscuits.  On  seeing  .this  we  felt  much 
more  at  ease,  and  our  old  fear  of  being  devoured 
disappeared  from  our  minds  altogether. 

2nd  day  of  2nd  moon.  The  day  broke  calm 
but  cloudy.  At  10  o'clock  the  cloud-banks  disap- 
peared, and  a  west  wind  came  whistling  up.  Then 
with  all  sails  set  and  yards  nearly  squared  we  stood 
on  for  our  destination.  About  3  p.m.  it  again 
clouded  over.  Then  some  of  the  crew  reported 
land  in  sight  on  our  port.  The  Captain  went  aloft 
to  the  main-top  with  a  spy-glass  and  looked  to- 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


wards  our  port-bow.  Wherefore  we  supposed  that 
the  land  was  near  at  hand  and  our  hearts  were 
glad  at  the  thought  of  gazing  upon  it  again. 

During  the  night  the  weather  cleared,  but  be- 
ing so  near  port,  the  vessel  was  compelled  to  heave 
to  till  day-break.  Then  she  set  sail  again  and  stood 
for 'the  harbour  of  San  Francisco. 

Next  morning  we  were  early  astir  looking 
eagerly  for  the  land,  for  we  'had  not  seen  it  for 
nearly  100  days.  About  7  a.m.  we  were  near  the 
entrance  to  the  port.  Several  vessels  of  all  classes 
were  standing  in  and  out  while  numerous  smaller 
craft  with  three-cornered  sails  were  rushing  about 
like  racers.  These  were  pilot-boats  I  was  after- 
wards told. 

Soon  we  were  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
Golden  Gate.  Two  of  the  little  craft  above  men- 
tioned (pilot  schooners)  bore  down  upon  us.  On 
board  of  them  were  several  persons  dressed  diffe- 
rently from  anything  we  had  seen,  in  tall  black  hats. 
One  of  them  on  the  schooner  nearest  to  the  Auck- 
land called  out  something  to  our  vessel  through  a 
trumpet,  and  the  Captain  of  our  ba'rque  replied. 
Shortly  after  the  schooner  lowered 'a  boat  and  a 
gentleman  and  a  sailor  got  into  it.  It  pulled  to- 
ward us  and  in  a  few  minutes  it  was  alongside, 
when  the  gentleman  came  on  board  and  the  sailor 
pulled  back  to  the  schooner. 


84  THE'  NARRATIVE 


Our  Captain  went  forward  and  shook  hands 
with  the  new  comer.  The  latter  brought  lots  of 
papers  which  he  handed  to  the  Captain,  and  both 
went  on  the  quarter  deck.  In  a  few  minutes  more 
the  new  man  took  charge  of-  the  vessel,  while  the 
Captain  went  below  and  began  to  read  those 
papers  he  had  got  from  the  other.  We  did  not 
know  then  what  these  documents  were,  but  we 
afterwards  heard  that  they  were  called  newspapers. 
By  this  time  the  schooner  had  hoisted  her  boat  on 
board  and  sailed  out  seaward  while  we  stood  on  in 
toward  the  port. 

The  stranger  who  had  just  come  on  board  was 
dressed  in  a  suit  of  black,  with  a  gfeat  gold  chain 
dangling  in  front  of  him  just  below  his  chest.  His 
head  was  covered  with  something  that  looked  like 
a  black  box  with  a  wide  bottom.  I  afterwards  was 
told  that  this  was  a  beaver  hat.  He  was  a  large 
well-built  man,  with  dark  hair,  a  thick  bushy  beard 
running  all  over  his  face,  and  black  eyes  and  seem- 
ed about  45  years  of.age.  He  spoke  quickly  and 
in  a  loud  resonant  voice.  He  had  a  trumpet  .under 
his  arm,  and  whenever  he  spoke  or  gave  an  order 
to  the  men  he  spoke  through  that  trumpet.  He 
walked  briskly  to  and  fro  on  the  quarter-deck 
with  one  hand  in  his  trouser's  pocket,  and  looked 
as  if  our  ship  and  everything  on  it  belonged  to  him. 

About  10  a.m.  our  good  old  barque  came  to 


Or    A    JAPANESE. 


anchor  at  the  North  Beach  cfose  under  Telegraph 
Hill. 

Just  before  we  anchored  several  little  sharp  built 
boats  with  one  or  two  men  in  them  came  alongside. 
These  men  were  dressed  just  like  our  sailors,  in 
flannel  shirts  and  cloth  pantaloons.  The}-  looked 
somewhat  rough  in  appearance,  some  smoking 
pipes  and  chewing  tobacco  and  spitting  continually 
like  our  first  Mate.  These,  we  were  told,  were 
)x>atmen  by  trade. 

As  soon  as  we  came  to  anchor,  the  Captain 
made  ready  to  go  on  shore.  When  he  came  to 
say  good-bye  to  us  we  did  not  recognize  him.  For 
he  had  washed  and  shaved,  and  dressed  himself  in 
black  cloth  from  head  to  foot,  with  a  great  gold 
chain  on  his  vest  and  a  tall  black  box  on  his  head 
like  the  pilot,  and  altogether  he  had  become  very- 
grand  and  very  wonderful. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  was  off  in  one  of  the  small 
boats,  and  we  saw  him  no  more  until  a  week 
thereafter. 

As.  we  were  just  about  to  anchor  another"  boat 
came  alongside.  This  was  painted  black,  and 
had  a  crew  of  five  men  with  two  officers.  These 
latter  were  dressed  like  the  pilot  all  in  black  with 
tall  hats.  The  boat  Mew  a  peculiar  flag  with  verti- 
cal red  and  white  stripes  and  with  an  eagle  dyed  or 
painted  in  at  the  upper  corner.  When  the  officers 


86  THE   NARRATIVE 


came  on  board  our  Captain  and  Mate  received 
them  and  conducted  them  to  the  cabin  where  they 
had  some  drinks.  One  of  them  stayed  on' board 
while  the  other  went  off  in  the  boat  in  which  they 
had  come.  This  boat  belonged  to  the  Custom- 
house of  the  port  and  these  two  gentlemen  -were 
the  officers  who  had  to  watch  on  behalf  of  the 
revenue  of  the  country,  i.e.  to  see  that  no  cargo  was 
landed  without  a  proper  payment  of  duty.  About  2 
p.m.  another  boat  came  alongside.  In  it  were  two 
men  in  flannel  shirts,  cloth  pants,  felt  hats  and  sus- 
penders over  their  shoulders  to  uphold  their  pants. 
They  looked  strong  and  healthy  and  seemed  rough 
and  very  common  class.  They  were  exceedingly 
curious  about  us  and  came  up  and  tried  to  talk  to 
us,  and  although  they  could  only  make  signs  to  us, 
they  stayed  with  us  for  some  time. 

They  had  some  conversation  with  the  Mate 
and  crew,  and  presently  they  asked  us  by  signs  to 
go  ashore  with  them,  indicating  at  the.  same  time 
that  they  would  bring  us  back.  But  none  of  us 
felt  willing  to  accept  their  invitation  as  we  were  all 
more  or  less  afraid  of  the  uncouth  appearance  of 
these  strangers.  However  at  last  one  said  that  if 
two  or  more  of  the  others  would  go,  he  would  go 
too,  and  thereupon  three  of  our  party  went  with 
them. 

After  this  boat  had  gone  several  boats  of  the 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


same  description  and  with  similar  men  came  along- 
side and  stayed  for  a  short  time  and  then  went 
away.  •  We  were  afterwards  told  that  these  folks 
were  called  stevedores  and  that  their  business  con- 
sisted in  loading  and  unloading  cargo. 

About  two  hours  after  our  companions  had 
gone  ashore  they  came  back  bringing  with  them 
pies,  fresh  bread,  and  cakes  which  the  strangers 
had  given  them.  They  reported  quite  favourably 
of  the  city  and  of  what  they  had  seen  there.  All 
the  people  whom  they  had  met  had  treated  them 
very  kindly,  especially  the  two  men  who  had  taken 
them  ashore.  After  hearing  this  many  of  us  wish- 
ed to  go  to  see  the  city,  but  our  own  Captain  Man- 
zo  warned  us  not  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  do  so. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  bur  arrival  the  barque 
was  moored  near  to  the  Long  Wharf.  In  the 
morning  a  heavy  fog  settled  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  so  that  we  could  not  see  more  than  a  few 
yards  ahead.  And  this  fog  continued  for  months. 
Since  our  arrival  in  port  our  fare  had  become  much 
nicer,  inasmuch  as  fresh  provisions  were  supplied 
and  served  out. 

In  the  afternoon  a  boat  similar,  to  the  Custom- 
house boat  with  a  crew  of  four  men  and  a  flag  at 
the  stern  came  alongside.  In  it  were  two  gentle- 
men with  gold  bands  on  their  caps  and  brass 
buttons  on  their  coats,  while  one  of  them  had  a 


88  THE   NARRATIVE 


sword.  These  we  were  afterwards  told  were  the 
Captain  and  an  officer  of  the  revenue  cutter  then 
in  port.  The  Mate  received  them  and  conducted 
them  to  the  cabin  where  they  had  some  drinks,  and 
talked  for  'a  few  minutes.  Then  they  came  on 
deck  and  approached  us.  They  looked  at  us,  talk- 
ing all  the  time  with  the  Mate,  and  pointing  to  our 
dress  and  feet,  but  of  course  we  could  not  under- 
stand what  they  were  saying.  They  then  passed 
forward,  now  and  then  looking  into  the  hatchways. 

At  length  they  went  away,  and  a  few  minutes 
afterwards  another  similar  boat  came  with  two 
gentlemen  in  black  suits  and  tall  hats.  When 
they  came  on  board  they  did  exactly  as  the  others 
had  done,  and  then  the  Mate  led  them  round  and 
showed  them  everything.  These  gentlemen  were 
from  the  Custom-house,  and  one  was  the  Deputy 
Collector  of  the  Port,  Col.  Green.  These  were 
more  civil  than  the  others  who  had  come  on  board 
thus  far ;  they  came  up  and  shook  hands  with  some 
of  us  saying  as  they  did  so  •'  How  are  you?  "  This 
sounded  to  us  "  Katuai"  which  in  our  language 
means  love  or  sympathy.  When  we  heard  this 
word  we  fancied  they  understood  our  language,  and 
some  of  us  began  to  talk  to  them.  But  they  gave 
us  no  direct  reply,  except  that  now  and  then  they 
smiled. 

When  they  were  ready  to  leave  one  of  these 


OF     V  JAPANESE.  89 


gentlemen  signed  to  me  that  he  wished  me  to  go 
ashore  with  him.  And  as  I  did  not  understand 
him,  he  spoke  to  our  Mate  and  he  came  and  told 
me  by  signs  that  if  I  went  with  the  gentleman  he 
would  buy  me  a  pair  of  shoes,  for  I  was  still  wear- 
ing old  sandals.  So  I  signed  that  if  he  (die  Mate) 
went  also  I  would  go,  for  I  was  still  averse  to 
trusting  myself  to  an  utter  stranger.  This  the 
Mate  seemed  to  comprehend  and  he  went  and 
dressed  and  we  went  off  in  the  same  boat  with  the 
visitors. 

In  about  10  or  15  minutes  we  had  landed  and 
walked  up  to  the  town.  Here  for  the  first  time  I 
saw  what  a  foreign  city  was  like.  The  streets 
were  .broad  and  paved  with  stones  and  tiles,  with 
side-walks,  for  foot-passengers,  and  the  centre  of 
the  way  for  horses  and  wheeled,  traffic.  The  houses 
were  much  larger  .than  in  our  own  country,  some 
of  them  two  or  three  storeys  high,  built  of  brick 
and  stone,  and  though  some  of  them  were  of  wood, 
still  even  they  were  large  and  spacious.  There 
were  numerous  shops  pfall  kinds,  with  goods  dis- 
played in  large  glass  windows,  hotels,  restaurants, 
drinking  places,  horses,  carts  and  carriages.  And 
all  the  people  looked  busy  and  the  place  seemed 
lively  and  prosperous.  And  in  fact  'it  appeared  to 
me  much  like  the  (City  of  Yedo  with  die  exception 
of  die  carts  which  were  here  drawn  by  horses  in- 


THE   NARRATIVE 


stead  of  by  men  or  cows  and  bullocks  as  they  are 
in  our  country. 

As  we  walked  up  the  street  from  the  Wharf, 
I  observed  over  50  men  with  chains  on  their  legs 
all  working  hard  at  digging  and  carting  the  earth 
from  the  hill  close  by.  This  I  aftenvards  learned 
was  called  the  "  chain-gang."  It  consisted  of  crim- 
inals serving  their  terms  for  the  various  crimes 
they  had  committed.  As  I  gazed  at  the  carts  pass- 
ing, I  was  greatly  frightened  to  see  a  black  object 
driving  a  goods-cart  or  dray.  It  wore  a  blue  and 
red  flannel  shirt,  dark  blue  pants,  long  boots  into 
which  its  pants  were  stuck,  suspenders  over  its 
shoulders,  a  red  comforter  round  its  neck  and  a 
felt  hat  on  its  head.  Its  black  face  and  white 
teeth  and  huge  red  lips,  which  formed  such  a  con- 
trast with  its  soot-like  face  were  fearful  and  dread- 
ful. I  .thought  it  was  not  human,  and  fancied  it 
must  be  more  akin  to  Oni  (a  Devil)  than  anything 
else.  Though  Iliad  heard  'of  the  existence  of  folks 
with  short  bodies  and  long  legs  and  arms,  yet  I 
had  never  heard  tell  of  such  a  creature  as  this. 
Wherefore  it  came  into  my  mind  that  it  could  be 
nothing  but  Oni  (the  Devil)  And  if  it  was  so  he 
must  come  from  Jigoku  (Hell),  as  we  are  taught 
that  in  J.igoku  are  many  red,  and  black  and  white 
Oni,  And  if  such  was  the  case  Jigoku  must  be 
near.  Thus  thinking  I  gripped  the  Mate's  hand 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  9! 


fast  and  looked  at  the  black  man  steadily  until  he 
had  passed  safely  out  of  sight. 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  a  shoe-shop.  We 
entered  it,  and  the  gentleman  said  something  to  the 
shop-keeper.  Then  he  brought  several  pairs  of 
boots  and  shoes  and  the  gentleman  signed  that  I 
should  put  them  on.  I  tried  one  or  two  pairs  and 
at  last  one  pair  which  fitted  me  nicely.  Then  the 
stranger  felt  my  feet  and  asked  me  how  that  would 
do.  I  nodded  "All  right!"  Then  he  paid  for  the 
shoes  and  told  me  to  keep  them  on.  After  this  we 
walked  across  to  a  bar,  or  drinking-place  where  I 
saw  cakes  and  pies  besides.  Here  the  Mate  and 
the  stranger  took  a  drink  together,  and  gave  me 
some  cakes  and  pies  to  eat.  I  ate  some  and 
kept  the  rest  for  my  companions.  By-and-by  the 
stranger  bade  us  good-bye.  I  thanked  him  for  the 
shoes  and  we  parted,  and  the  Mate  and  myself  re- 
turned on  board.  When  I  got  the  new  shoes  on  I 
felt  quite  proud  of  them.  When  I  got  on  board 
I  told  my  companions  of  all  that  I  had  seen,  and 
especially  about  the  object  that  looked  so  like  the 
Old  we  had  seen  in  pictures  of  Jiguku. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards,  the  Auckland  moved 
up  to  the  inner  wharf  to  discharge  cargo.  She 
came  alongside  a  large  old-fashion-built  ship  which 
had  been  converted  into  a  hulk,  Into  this  our  crew 
began  to  transfer  our  cargo,  and  we  (the  Japanese) 


92.  THE   NARRATIVE 


went  and  lent  them  a  hand  in  doing  so.  In  about 
a  week  the  cargo  had  been  nearly  all  discharged, 
and  then  the  Captain  of  the  hulk  came  on  board 
the  Auckland,  and  explained  to  us  by  signs  that  in 
a  day  or  two  he  intended  to  take  us  on  shore  to 
see  the  grand  dances,  and  that  on  that  occasion  we 
must  put  on  our  native  dress. 

In  another  day  or  two  we  were  told  to  wash 
and  shave,  and  those  of  us  who  had  foreign  clothes 
were  requested  to  change  into  our  own  garments. 
(By  this  time  several  of  us  were  dressed  in  foreign 
raiment  given  to  us  by  charitable  strangers).  So 
we  did  as  we  were  instructed,  and  at  sundown  all 
were  ready. 

After  supper,  we  were  taken  in  charge  by  the 
Captain  of  the  hulk  and  went  ashore.  We  reached 
the  Ball-room  which  was  a  large  two-storey  brick 
building,  .situated  at  the  corner  of  Kearney  street 
and  another  street.  We  were  conducted  upstairs 
by  our  friend  the  Captain,  and  ushered  into  a  room 
of  about  .twenty-four  feet  by  eighteen,  with  velvet 
cushioned  chairs,  a  sofa  and  handsome  window  cur- 
tains, and  with  a  large  mirror  on  the  side  of  the 
wall. 

Here  we  were,  told  to  seat  ourselves.  So  we 
all  sat  down  opposite  the  mirror,  when  to  our  great 
surprise  we  found  that  several  of  our  countrymen 
wer-  already  in  the  room.  Seeing  this  some  of  us 


OF   A   JAPANESE  93 


began  to  wonder  how  they  had  got  there.  We 
concluded  that  it  was  to  meet  them  that  the  Captain 
of  the  hulk  had  brought  us  ashore,  and  that  it  was 
in  consequence  of  this  that  we  had  been  requested 
to  don  our  native  garb.  Some  of  us  were  just  on 
the  point  of  opening  a  conversation  with  them, 
when  we  discovered  that  there  were  no  such  people 
there  at  all  and  that  what  we  fancied  to  be  Japanese  was 
nothing  but  our  own  images  reflected  in  the  mirror, 
Of  course  our  mistake  was  perfectly  natural,  since 
we  never  had  seen  or  heard  of  such  a  large  mirror ; 
for  our  own  mirrors  were  quite  small,  the  largest  of 
them  being  not  more  than  12  or  15  inches  in 
diameter. 

There  was  another  room  adjoining  the  one  we 
were  sitting  in.  This  was  used  by  the  dancers  as 
their  dressing-room,  for  we  saw  them  change  their 
clothes,  paint  their  faces  and  put  on  masks.  We 
saw  some  females  put  on  men's  clothes,  while  some 
men  arrayed  themselves  in  women's  garments. 

About  8.30  p.m.  we  heard  a  great  commotion 
just  outside  this  room.  The  noise  was  fearful  and 
hideous,  as  if  drums  were  being  struck,  and  bells 
and  other  contrivances  sounded.  I  discovered 
afterwards  that  this  came  from  the  band.  The 
thing  was  a  great  novelty  to  us,  inasmuch  as  it  was 
the  first  time  in  our  lives  we  had  ever  heard  such 
an  uproar  in  a  house.  And  one  of  us  would  say 


94  THE   NARRATIVE 


to  another,  '"  What  a  fearful  noise  these  foreigners 
make ! "  while  others  surmised  that  it  must  be  their 
music. 

Whatever  that  noise  was,  it  was  not  at  all 
pleasant  to  our  ears,  and  all  us  were  deafened  by 
the  din,,  while  some  of  us  got  severe  headaches  in 
consequence  of  it. 

A  few. minutes  after  the  music  had  struck  up, 
our  friend  the  Captain  came  to  us  and  signed  to  us 
to  follow  him.  We  did  so,,  and  he  conducted  us 
through  a  side-door  into  a  large  room  which  looked 
like  the  stage  of  a  theatre.  The  floor  was  of  wood, 
with  long  benches  in  a  row,  and  a  blue  curtain  in 
front.  Here  the  Captain  told  us  to  sit  down  on 
the  benches.  WThen  we  were  seated  facing  toward 
the  curtain  in  front  of  us,  we  heard  a  great  noise  of 
talking  and  laughing  on  the  other  side  of  that  curtain. 

We  remained  quietly  seated  for  a  few  minutes 
when  some  of  my  companions  began  to  get  angry. 
And  one  would  say  to  another : — "  This  Captain  of 
the  store  ship  pretends  to  be  our  friend,  but  he  is 
not.  For  he  has  brought  us  here  to  malce  a  show 
of  us  and  to  make'  money." 

So-  some  of  them  started  up  in  hot  passion, 
meaning  to  quit  the  place,  but  our  own  Captain 
stopped  them,  and  pacified  them  by  saying  that  we 
were  under  obligation  to  the  strangers  by  reason 
of  their  picking  us  up  and  feeding  us,  and  that 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  95 


therefore  it  was  not  a  serious  matter  if  they  did 
make  "  show"  of  us  to  make  money. 

In  the  midst  of  our  Captain's  remarks  the  cur- 
tain was  drawn  aside,  when  to  our  great  surprise 
and  amazement  we  found  ourselves  in  front  of  a 
perfect  sea  of  faces.  They  all  looked  at  us  with 
eager  eyes  for  some  minutes,  and  theft  turned  to 
each  other  talking  and  laughing  and  gesticulating. 
After  we  had  sat  quietly  for  about  five  or  ten  minu- 
tes the  Captain  of  the  hulk  said  something  to  the 
crowd,  and  then  by  signs  gave  us  to  understand 
that  we  were  to  leave  our  seats  and  go  about  in  the 
Hall. 

So  we  all  descended  among  the  crowd,  who 
eagerly  bepkoned  us  to  come,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
we  were  scattered  all  over  the  hall.  The  room 
was  brilliantly  lighted  with  gas,  the  crowd,  (of  both 
sexes,  children  even  being  present)  was  splendidly 
dressed.  I  noticed  cake-stands  and  a  "bar"  for 
drinking.  At  this  bar  there  was  a  large  black  man 
waiting  on  the  guests.  He  was  dressed  to  a  tee, 
in  black  swallow-tail,  white  shirt,  and  a  huge  collar 
standing  right  up  to  his  ears,  with  a  white  apron  in 
front  of  him.  The  contrast  between  his  black  face 
and  white  collar  and  apron  made  him  the  most 
conspicuous  figure  in  the  hall,  and  I  looked  at  him 
with  fear  and  wonder. 

In  the  centre  of  hall  were  huge  pillars,  and 


g6  THE   NARRATIVE 


around- these  I  observed  several  round  tables,  not 
unlike  the  Tomi  (gambling-tables)  of  our  country. 
At  some  of  these  females  presided,  at  others  men. 

A  little  after  9  o'clock  the  dancing  commenced. 
It  was  a  grand  affair.  Some  years  afterwards  I 
was  told  it  was  a  Masquerade  Ball,  got  up  by  the 
people  of  the  city. 

A  young  gentleman  of  about  25  or  30,  con- 
ducted me  round  the  Hall.  When  we  came  to  one 
of  the  tables  presided  over  by  a  girl  of  about  20, 
he  produced  a  silver  coin  (25  c.),  and  told  me  to 
place  it  on  the  dial  of  the  table  wherever  I  liked, 
and  turn  the  stick.  '  I  put  the  coin  on  one  of  the 
letters  and  then  turned  the  stick.  When  the  stick 
ceased  revolving  its  head  rested  at  the  place  where 
I  put  the  coin.  Then  the  girl  gave  me  50  cents 
over  and  above  what  I  had  originally  put  down, 
and  then  my  new  friend  told  me  to  put  it  all  wher- 
ever I  thought  best  and  to  turn  the  stick  as  before. 
I  did  so,  and  I  seemed  to  have  won  again,  for  the 
girl  added  to  my  money  the  double  of  what  I  had 
put  down.  The  young  man.  told  me  to  repeat  it 
once  more.  I  did  so,  and  to  everybody's  surprise 
I  won  again.  Then  the  young  gentleman  said  it 
would  be  better  to  stop  and  to  put  the  money  into 
my  own  pocket.  I  did  as  he  signed  to  me  to  do, 
and  walked  away  with  him  to  see  the  rest  of  the 
halL  He  gave  me  cakes  and  coffee  at  one  of  the 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  97 


stalls,  and  soon  afterwards  he  shook  hands  and 
bade  me  good-night,  and  in  a  few  seconds  he  was 
gone  to  my  regret.  And  who  he  was  I  have  never 
known  even  to  this  day. 

All  of  us  had  been  conducted  through  the  hall 
by  the  strangers,  receiving  various  presents  in  the 
shape  of  money,  pen-knives,  rings,  breast-pins  and 
eatables.  Of  these  my  share  was  the  largest,  viz  : 
$15.50  c.  in  money  (including  what  I  had  gained  at 
the  table),  7  pen-knives,  JO  or  n  gold  and  silver 
finger-rings  and  3  scarf-pins, — one  of  them  a 
diamond  pin  which  was  given  me  in  exchange  for 
some  half-£«  and  nibu  gold  pieces. 

A  little  after  1 1  o'clock  our  friend  the  Captain 
came  and  took  all  of  us  to  a  saloon  below  the  hall 
where  tables  were  set.  Here  he  gave  us  supper, 
and  after  that  we  walked  back  to  our  vessel  and 
retired  with  full  contentment. 

Next  morning  as  I  was  handling  my  presents 
and  counting  my  money  the  first  Mate  observed 
me  and  coming  up  said  something  to  me.  At  the 
same  time  he  pointed  to  the  shore,  to  my  clothes, 
and  to  the  money  I  was  then  counting,  and  to  his 
own  clothes.  From  this  I  understood  that  if  I 
went  ashore  with  him,  he  would  buy  me  other 
clothing.  So  I  nodded  and  he  said  "all  right." 

When  evening  came  we  went  ashore  and  wend- 
ed our  way  to  the  city.  We  came  to  a  street  where 


98  THE   NARRATIVE 


there  were  several  drinking  saloons,  and  the  Mate 
entered  one  of  those  and  beckoned  to  me  to  follow. 
He  went  to  the  bar,  called  for  a  drink,  lit  a 
cigar,  and  entered  into  conversation  with  the  bar- 
keeper and  with  some  people  seated  in  the  front 
room.  He  told  me  to  sit  down  on  the  side  settee. 
Presently  he  had  another  drink  and  then  two 
females  came  from  behind  the  bar  with  whom  he 
chatted  away  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  all  began  to 
dance  to  the  music  of  a  violin  which  the  bar-keeper 
came  out  and  played  for  them.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  dance  he  had  another  drink  and  a  smoke,  and 
then  there  was  another  dance  and  so  on  till  about 
twelve. 

Then  he  came  and  asked  for  my  money;  I 
handed  it  to  him,  and  he  paid  for  all  his  drinks  and 
cigars  with  it.  Meanwhile  I  sat  in  my  corner, 
looking  on  half-asleep,  taking  no  interest  in  the 
proceedings  whatsoever.  A  female  of  the  place 
brought  me  some  pie,  cakes  and  a  cup  of  coffee. 
She  began  to  chat,  but  I  did  not  understand  a  word 
she  said,  and  felt  more  inclined  to  go  to  sleep  than 
anything  else. 

At  last  I  went  up  to  the  Mate  and  as*ked  him 
to  go  home  as  it»was  getting  late.  Besides  the 
man 'had  misled  me  for  I  understood  him  to  mean 
that  he  was  to  buy  me  a  coat  and  vest  with  my 
money,  instead  of  which  he  had  spent  it  all  to  pay 


OF    A    JAPANESE.  99 


for  his  drinks  and  cigars,  at  which  I  was  greatly 
vexed.  At  this  point  he  said  "All  right,"  and  paid 
the  bill,  and  we  started  for  our  ship  and  got  on 
board  about  i  a.m. 

When  I  appeared  my  companions  asked  me 
where  I  had  been  and  why  I  was  so  late.  I  told 
them  what  the  Mate  had  said  to  me,  and  how  he 
had  misled  me.  At  this  they  all  waxed  very 
wroth,  and  promised  to  help  me  to  recover  the 
money  he  had  taken  from  me.  Next  day  two  of 
my  companions  and  myself  went  to  the  first  Mate 
and  asked  him  for  the  money  he  had  taken  away 
from  me  the  night  before.  He  pretended  not  to 
understand  what  we  wanted.  But  when  we  kept 
on  persistently  signifying  to  him  by  signs  that  he 
had  to  return  the  money  he  at  length  went  into  his 
cabin  and  opened  his  clothes-chest  and  brought  out 
a  China-made  dark-blue  crape  summer  frock-coat 
which  might  have  cost  him  about  $3.50  c.  in  China, 
and  handed  it  to  me  to  put  on.  And  he  was  a 
man  of  6  ft.  2  in.  and  I  was  a  Japanese  boy  of  1 3 
or  1 4,  but  this  old  coat  was  all  I  got  in  return  for 
my  $I5-5°  c-  After  this  we  began  to  mistrust 
that  first  Mate. 


IOO  THE    NARRATIVE 


X. 

A  few  days  after,  the  barque  was  read}-  for 
sea,  and  we  were  taken  charge  of  by  the  Collector 
of  the  Port  (Mr.  King,  we  were  afterwards  told). 
He  had  written  to  Washington  about  the  disposal 
of  our  party.  The  Government  had  sent  back 
orders  to  have  us  kept  on  board  the  Revenue 
Cutter  and  for  good  care  to  be  taken  of  us.  The 
Washington  Government  deemed  this  a  fine  op- 
portunity to  negotiate  a  Treaty  of  Amity  with  our 
country  (Japan)  by  taking  us  back  in  a  man-of-war, 
to  ourselves  tell  our  Government  about  America 
and  the  American  people.  With  this  view  we  were 
kept  about  a  year,  in  San  Francisco  at  the  Govern- 
ment's expense ;  and  in  the  meanwhile  Commodore 
Perry's  Expedition  to  Japan  (1853)  was  being 
^quipped.  A  day  before  our  transfer,  the  Captain 
of  the  Auckland  came  on  board  and  told  us  that  as 
his  vessel,  was  ready  for  sea,  the  Custom-house 


OF   A   JAPANESE  IOI 


authorities  would  take  charge  of  us  and  that  we 
were  to  be  put  on  board  the  Revenue  Cutter  Polk. 
He  told  us  to  prepare  ourselves,  and  we  obeyed 
his  orders. 

Next  afternoon,  a  boat  with  five  of  a  crew, 
and  an  officer  wearing  a  sword  and  with  gold- 
bands  on  his  cap  came  alongside.  It  flew  a  flag 
similar  to  that  of  the  Custom-house.  Then  we 
said  Sayoiwa  to  the  Captain,  officers  and  men  of  the 
barque,  and  thanked  them  for  all  the  great  kind- 
ness we  had  received  at  their  hands  while  on  board. 

When  we  got  on  board  the  Polk,  her  deck 
officer  came  to  the  gangway  and  welcomed  us.  He 
tried  to  shake  liands  with  us,  each  and  all,  but  some 
of  us  were  afraid  to  approach  him  on  account  of 
the  appearance  of  the  vessel.  She  was  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  old  barque,  since  she  had  guns  and 
handspikes  ranged  around  die  masts,  and  was 
built  of  iron  over  an  inch  thick,  while  all  her 
officers  and  crew  wore  a  peculiar  kind  of  dress. 
From  these  circumstances  we  took  her  to  be  a 
regular  war-ship. 

By  way  of  salutation  we  fell  on  our  knees  and 
bowed  to  the  deck  and  prayed  before  the  deck-officer 
and  the  one  who  had. escorted  us  on  board.  While 
we  were  doing  so,  the  boat's  crew  were  transferring 
our  luggage  from  the  boat  to  the  ship's  deck  and 
thence  to  our  quarters,  which  were  on  the  berth- 


IO2  THE    NARRATIVE 


deck  between    the-  ward    room   and    the    men's 
quarters. 

Just  then  a  large  stout  man  appeared  'on  deck. 
The  officer  said  something  to  him,  and  then  this 
man  turned  and  signed  to  us  to  follow  him  to  our 
quarters. 

This  stout  man  was  the  master-at-anns.  He 
was  a  kind  good-hearted  fellow ;  he  was  an  Irish 
American  and  was  called  Thomas  Troy. 

He  brought  some  thick  mattresses  and  new 
blankets,  and  made  our  quarters  very  comfortable. 
After  we  had  stowed  away  our  luggage  we  went 
on  deck  to  have  a  look  at  our  new  ship.  What  a 
fine  large  vessel  she  appeared  to  us,  and  how 
cleanly  and  trimly  kept !  She  was  an  iron-ship  of 
about  6po  tons,  barque-rigged.  She  was  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Hunter  of  N.  Y. ;  had  5  officers, 
a  purser,  a  doctor,  a  cook,  two  stewards  and  a  boy 
and  about  50  or  60  of  a  crew. 

The  crew  were  very  kind  to  us  ;  when  we 
went  on  deck  the)-  thronged  around  us  and  showed 
us  over  the  vessel.  They  also  tried  to  teach  us, 
pointing  to  the  various  things  on  deck  and  naming 
them  by  their  names.  The  following  day,  the  re- 
gulation clothes  were  served  out  to  us.  These 
consisted  of  dark-blue  cloth  jackets  and  pants,  the 
former  with  brass-buttons.  Of  these  brass-buttons 
we  were  quite  proud  whenever  we  went  ashore ; 


OF   A   JAPANESE,  1 03 


by  reason  of  them  we  deemed  ourselves  American 
yakunins  (officials).  We  met  with  nothing  but  the 
utmost  kindness  from  all  onboard.  In  fact  according 
to  our  notions  we  were  treated  over-well,  and  one 
day  a  great  discussion  arose  among  us  at  to  what 
the  object  of  the  foreigners  might  be  in  so  dealing 
with  us.  And  one  would  say  to  another  that  the 
strangers  were  fattening  us  for  their  future  meat, 
and  another  would  say  that  that  surely  could  not 
be.  Then  our  wise  old  grey-haired  Captain  Manzo 
put  in  his  word  and  spoke  quietly.  He  was  going 
on  to  say  that  what  they  were  saying  was  wrong 
and  was  doing  an  injustice  to  our  benefactors,  when 
one  fellow  interrupted  him  rudely  and  bluntly  ask- 
ed "What  object  then  do  they  have  in  treating  us 
in  such  away?" 

And  after  a  second  our  Captain  answered 
gently,  but  I  could  see  that  there  was  indignation 
deep  down  in  his  breast.  "These  men,"  he  said 
"are  simply  good  and  charitable  people,  and  are 
kind  to  us,  because  tliey  know  that  \ve  have  lost 
everything  and  that  we  are  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  and  helpless  as  the  year-old  infant  .in  thaf  we 
Understand  not  nor  speak  the  speech  of  their  land." 

And  we  gave  heed  unto  his  words,  and  all  said 
it  was  in  truth  shameful  to  suspect  the  strangers, 
and  we  soon  found  that  wise  old  Captain  Manzo' 
spoke  only  the  truth. 


IO4  THE    NARRATIVE 


As  we  had  no  work  to  do  on  board  the  Polk, 
the  time  waxed  irksome  and  tedious,  and  besides  we 
deemed  it  exceedingly  wrong  for  us  to  be  doing 
nothing.  So  one  day  we  held  a  consultation  as  to 
how  we  could  do  something  good  towards  the 
Captain  and  the  crew  in  return  for  all  the  kind- 
nesses we  continually  received.  And  we  thought 
it  well  that  all  the  youngest  and  most  active  of  us 
should  go  and  help  and  wait  on  the  officers.  To 
this  we  all.  agreed,  and  told  the  Master-at-arms,  and 
he  communicated  our  wish  to  the  Captain  and  the 
officers.  They  were,  all  delighted  and  accepted 
bur  offer.  Tora,  Kame  and  Shin  went  and  help- 
ed the  ward-room  officers,  while  I  was  taken  by 
the  -Captain  to  wait  on  him,  and  the  others  as- 
sisted the  sailors  in  cleaning  the  decks  and  such- 
like work. 

In  return  for  these  services  we  now  and  then 
received  presents  in  the  shape  of  clothes,  shoes 
and  pocket-money  frorii  the  Captain  and  the  officers. 
In  about  a  month,  all  the  boys  and  the  stewards 
left  the  ship,  and  we  took  over  their  duties,  and 
continued  to  discharge  them  until  about  a  month 
before  we  left  the  good  old  barque. 

The  Master-at-arms  was  very  fond  of  us,  and 
used  to  come  round  to  our  quarters  whenever  he 
had  time  to  spare,  in  order  to  teach  us  English, 
and  to  be  taught  Japanese,  as  he  had  thoughts  of 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  105 


some  day  visiting  our  country.  He  told  us  that 
since  he  had  read  about  Japan  in  Geography  at 
school,  and  also  about  St.  Francis  Xavier,  he  had 
always  wished  to  visit  our  country  and  may  be  to 
five  and  die  there. 

Our  people  were  delighted  to  teach  him  Japa- 
nese, but  were  very  averse  to  learning  his  language. 
This  was  on  account  of  a  law  of  our  country,  which 
exposed  those  who  knew  anything  about  foreign 
countries  or  languages  to  being  put  in  confinement 
by  the  Government. 

One  day  Lieutenant  Thompson  bought  a 
spelling-lx>ok  and  Thomas  an  easy  reading-book 
and  gave  them  to  me.  For  some  days  they  came 
and  gave  me  lessons,  and  I  was  very  anxious  to 
learn.  But  when  two  of  the  elders  of  our  party 
knew  of  this  they  came  and  told  me  that  I  must 
desist  from  learning  English,  or  any  foreign  lan- 
guage whatsoever,  if  I  had  any  mind  at  all  to  return 
to  our  country.  For  if  I  learned  a  foreign  tongue 
and  went  home,  I,  and  they  also  would  be  put  into 
confinement,  besides  suffering  a  very  serious  punish- 
ment, the  exact  details  of  which  they  were  not  cer- 
tain of.  .When  I  heard  this,  being  a  mere  boy  and 
not  knowing  much  about  the  matter  I  became  fright- 
ened and  told  Thomas  and  the  Lieutenant  that  I 
did  not  \vish  to  continue  my  lessons.  And  from 
that  time  forward  I  did  not  attempt  to  leant  English 


IO6  THE   NARRATIVE 


whilst  I  was  with  the  rest,  which  was  a  great  draw- 
back to  my  interest. 

During  our  stay  on  board  the  cutter  we  had 
no  other  amusement  beyond  going  ashore  on  Sun- 
days to  wander  through  the  town  and  over  the 
hills.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  while  rambling 
among  the  hills,  we  came  to  an  isolated  building 
with  a  great  fence  round  it.  So  we  approached  to 
see  what  it  was.  And  to  our  great  horror  we 
found  that  inside  that  fence  the  natives  were  mur- 
dering cattle  in  the  most  cruel  and  merciless  fashion. 
Then  we  said  to  each  other : — "  These  barbarians 
(Mexicans)  have  no  feeling  or  pity,  and  do  not 
know  what  cruelty  is."  And  so  saying  we  hurried 
back  to  our  vessel. 

•  Somewhere  in  the  February  of  the  following 
year,  the  U.  S.  ship  6V.  Mary  came  into  the  port 
of  San  Francisco  and  anchored  there.  One  morning 
the  officers  and  the  men  of  our  cutter  told  us  that 
the  vessel  that  had  just  come  in  had  been  sent  out 
by  the  Government  specially  to  take  us  to  our 
•native  land.  At  this  news  we  greatly  rejoiced,  and 
we  immediately  began  to  pack  our  little  baggage, 
together  with  such  things  as  empty  glass-bottles 
which  we  had  picked  up  from  time  to  time.  These 
were  meant  for  our  miyage,  or  presents  to  our 
friends  at  home.  Then  one  day  later  on  the  Cap- 
tain of  the  Polk,  a  tall  big-boned  man  of  60  with 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  IO7 


iron-grey  locks  and  the  kindest  of  hearts  (A.  Web- 
ster) came  and  told  us  through  Thomas,  who  by 
this  time  understood  somewhat  of  our  language, 
that  in  a  few  days  we  were  to  be  transferred  to  the 
St.  Mary.  That  vessel  was  to  convey  us  to  Hong- 
kong where  we  were  to  join  Commodore  Perry  s 
expedition  to  our  country,  and  with  it  we  were  to 
return  to  our  country.  The  Captain  said  he  was 
very  sorry  to  part  with  us,  but  on  the  other  hand 
he  told  us  he  was  glad  to  think  we  were  returning 
to  our  families  and  our  friends.  That  same  after- 
noon all  the  officers  came  one  by  one  to  where  we 
packing  up  our  baggage  arid  told  us  how  sorry  the)' 
were  to  part  with  us.  For  we  had  been  with  them 
and  lived  with  them  on  the  same  ship  for  more 
than  a  year  like  one  single  family.  They  also  ex- 
pressed their  good  wishes  for  our  future. 

On  the  nth  March  the  St.  Mary  moved  up 
the  bay  in  the  morning  and  anchored  close  to  the 
city.  In  the  afternoon  she  sent  two  of  her  boats 
alongside  to  fetch  us.  The  Captain,  officers,  and 
men  all  came  round  and  helped  us  to  put  our  lug- 
gage into  the  boats.  Then  we  said  good-bye,  and 
took  our  leave.  And  a  very  affecting  leave-taking 
it  was. 

As  we  reached  the  St.  Mary  we  noticed  that 
she  was  not  at  all  like  an  ordinary  vessel.  She 
was  painted  black,  had  full  square  yards  on  each 


IOS  THE   NARRATIVE 


one  of  her  three  masts,  and  cannons  showing  their 
mouths  through  her  port-holes,  while  at  the  gang- 
ways on  the  forecastle  sentinels  were  pacing  back- 
wards and  forwards  with  arms  upon  their  shoulders. 
From  all  these  things  we  know  her  to  be  a  regular 
fighting  ship. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  on  board  and  wel- 
comed by  her  officers  and  men.  After  we  had 
been  shown  the  comfortables  quarters  provided  for 
us,  and  had  stowed  away  our  baggage  in  the  pro- 
pe'r  place  we  went  on  deck  to  bid  farewell  to  our 
old  friend  the  Master-at-arms  who  had  come  with 
us  to  see  us  properly  placed  and  to  bid  us  good- 
bye. We  felt  very  sad  at  parting  with  him,  since 
he  was  the  only  foreigner  who  had  acquired  any 
knowledge  of  our  language.  Besides  his  kindness 
to  us  all  on  board  the  Polk  had  been  extreme.  He 
too  felt  very  sad  at  our  parting.  He  wished  with 
all  his  heart  to  come  with  us,  but  he  could  not 
afford  to  do  so  at  his  own  expense.  He  had  come 
to  California  to  make  money  and  was  then  getting 
good  wages.  Still  his  desire  was  to  come  and  live 
in  our  country  if  possible  and  he  was  willing  to 
make  great  sacrifices  to  do  so.  But  as  he  could 
not  do  it  then  at  his  own  expense,  he  look  his  leave 
saying  "  Good-bye  and  God  bless  you." 

The  St.  Mary  carried  22  guns  and  a  ship's 
company  of  220  men  all  told.  Owing  to  her 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  109 


like  appearance  we  had  much  discussion  as  to  how 
our  future  would  be  affected  by  being  taken  home 
in  a  warship.  We  asked  each  other  earnestly  if 
she  was  to  take  us  directly  to  our  country.  Be- 
cause if  she  did,  we  should  be  surely  punished  by 
the  Japanese  authorities,  for  they  would  suspect  that 
we  had  advised  the  Americans  to  send  us  in  a 
man-of-war  in  order  to  frighten  our  Government 
officials. 

The  St.  Mary  was  to  have  sailed  on  the  1 2th, 
but  for  some  cause  she  was  detained  until  the  i3th. 
This  gave  us  time  to  make  another  visit  to  our  old 
friend  the  Polk.  On  this  occasion  we  told  the 
Captain  that  inasmuch  as  we  did  not  understand 
English,  and  as  no  one  on  board  the  St.  Mary 
spoke  a  word  of  our  language,  and  as  besides  all 
the  people  of  that  vessel  were  strangers  to  us,  we 
were  very  anxious  that  the  Master-at-arms  should 
go  with  us.  Upon  this  the  Captain  at  once  asked 
Thomas  if  he  was  willing  to  do  so.  Thomas  re- 
plied that  he  wished  nothing  better,  but  that  he 
could  not  afford  to  give  up  his  present  post  and 
go  at  his  own  expense.  However,  if  the  Captain 
of  the  St.  Alary  would  give  him  even  ordinary- 
seaman's  wages  ($12  per  month)  he  would  throw 
up  the  position 'he  then  held — it  brought  him  some 
$50  or  $60  per  month — and  go.  So  the  Captain 
wrote  to  the  Captain  of  the  St.  Mary  about  the 


IIO  THE   XARRATIVfi 


matter,  and  the  latter  agreed  to  allow  Thomas 
what  he  asked.  Thus  the  Master-at-arms  consent- 
ed to  accompany  us  and  got  ready  at  once,  and  we 
all  returned  to  the  St.  Mary  with  joy  in  our  hearts. 

About  7  a.m.  of  the  i3th  March  a  rousing 
breeze  sprang  up  from  the  S.W.  and  the  St.  Mary 
at  once  weighed  anchor.  While  this  was  being 
done,  we  were  allowed  to  be  on  the  quarter-deck 
where  we  squatted  down  on  the  nice  clean  plank- 
ing and  looked  on  with  the  utmost  interest. 

The  Captain  and  the  first  Lieutenant  walked- to 
and  fro  on  the  quarter-deck,  the  latter  with  a 
trumpet  under  his  arm— directing  the  officers  and 
men,  and  whatever  the  men  did  was  done  in  unison. 
The  anchors  were  hoisted  by  the  capstan  to  the 
music  of  drum  and  fife,  and  then  at  one  order  all 
the  sails  were  let  loose.  And  so  all  the  sails  were 
hoisted  together  at  one  word,  sheets  were  all 
spread  at  one  word — every  order  was  carried  out 
simultaneously.  This,  our  interpreter  Thomas 
told  us  was  "  man-of-war  style." 

In  half-an-hour's  time  we  passed  our  good  old 
barque  the  Polk.  Her  Captain,  officers  and  men 
were  all  on  deck  waving  their  handerchiefs  to  us  by 
way  of  wishing  us  "farewell  and  good-wishes." 
We  returned  their  salutation,  and  in  a  short  time 
we  were  fairly  out  of  their  sight  and  through  the 
Golden  Gate. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  II  I 


XI. 

We  soon  discharged  our  pilot  and  then  we 
stood  on  for  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

About  April  3rd,  we  sighted  Owahi,  the  largest 
of  the  group,  where  Captain  Cook  was  killed  by  the 
natives  in  1778.  About  n  a.m.  we  came  to 
anchor  in  Hilo  Bay,  and  there  we  stayed  for  a 
week. 

On  the  morning  of  our  arrival,  our  Captain 
Manzo  died, — he  having  been  ailing  for  the  past 
six  months  and  under  the  care  of  the  ship's  doctor 
both  on  the  Polk  and  the  St.  Mary.  He  passed 
away  very  quietly  early  in  the  morning,  on  April 
3rd,  1852,  at  the  age  of  63. 

When  we  anchored,  we  began  to  make  pre- 
parations for  his  funeral.  We  bathed  his  body, 
shaved  his  head  and  face  for  the  last  time,  and 
dressed  him  in  new  clothes.  We  obtained  a  large 


112  THE   NARRATIVE 


box  (coffin)  in  which  we  placed  him,  and  had  all  our 
preparations  made  by  noon  or  shortly  after.  Then 
we  were  furnished  with  a  boat  in  charge  of  a  mid- 
shipman, and  in  it  all  of  us  went  ashore  with  the 
body.  It  was  a  glorious  calm  day,  with  the  sea  as 
smooth  as  a  sea  of  glass. 

When  we  reached  the  shore-  the  natives  crowd- 
ed to  the  beach  around  in  such  dense  throngs  that 
at  first  we  were  somewhat  frightened.  But  they 
had  only  come  partly  out  of  curiosity,  and  partly  to 
assist  at  the  funeral.  They  joined  our  train,  and 
also  showed  us  the  way  to  the  public  grave-yard. 
Here  we  laid  the  last  remains  of  our  respected  old 
Captain  Manzo.  We  placed  a  large'  stone  over 
the  grave,  and  kneeling  down  we  offered  up  a 
prayer.  And  then  we  all  arose  and  came  away. 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  we  rambled  all  over 
the  hills  and  town  of  Hilo.  The  area  of  the  town 
is  large,  but  the  buildings  are  few,  consisting  chief- 
ly of  huts  scattered  all  over  ground.  The  island  is 
exceedingly  fertile  ;  fruit  grows  wild  there  in  great 
abundance.  The  sea  is  alive  with.  fish.  The 
natives  are  quiet  and  good  and  kind ;  after  mis- 
sionaries went  there,  many  of  them  became  Christ- 
ians and  learnt  to  speak  English.  In  appearance, 
they  are  black,  with  dark  eyes,  straight  hair,  of 
medium  size,  and  wear  few  or  any  clothes  to  speak 
of.  Although  the  bay  or  port  of  Hilo  is  only  an 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  I  I  3 


open  roadstead,  yet  the  anchorage  is  said  to  be 
good. 

After  remaining  there  about  a  week,  we  sailed 
for  Hongkong  and  arrived  there  about  May  2oth, 
1852.  St.  Mary  stayed  there  two  days  and  then 
she  weighed  anchor  and  made  for  Macao,  where 
we  expected  to  find  the  American  squadron. 

We  arrived  at  Macao  at  night,  and  found  a 
large  paddle-steam  frigate  at  anchor  there.  This 
was  the  SwqueJianna,  the  flag-ship  of  the  U.  S. 
squadron  in  the  East.  She  carried  the  flag  of 
Commodore  Aulick  (of  Washington  City). 

Next  morning  our  Captain  called  on  the  Com- 
modore, and  about  1 1  a.m.  the  Commodore,  die 
Captain  and  some  officers  of  the  SusqucJianna 
came  on  'board  the  St.  Mary.  Our  Captain  re- 
ceived them,  and  afterwards  there  was  gun  drill. 
Then  the  Commodore  and  his  staff-officers  were 
shown  all  over  the  ship  by  our  Captain  and  first 
Lieutenant.  They  came  to  where  we  were,  and 
stopped  and  made  some  inquiry  about  us  through 
our  interpreter  Thomas.  They  then  went  to  the 
Captain's  cabin  where  they  stayed  about  half-an- 
hour.  At  the  end  of  this  time  they  returned  to 
their  own  vessel,  the  St.  Mary  saluting  them  with 
1 3  guns  as  they  left. 

In  a  few  days  we  were  to  be  transferred  to 
the  Susguchanna,  as  the  St.  Mary  was  on  her  way 


114  THE    NARRATIVE 


home,  after  a  visit  to  the  Fiji  Islands  where  she 
had  been  to  negotiate  with  the  natives  on  the 
matter  of  some  American  sailors  who  had  been 
killed  and  eaten  by  the  natives  in  the  previous 
year.  And  on  her  way  she  had  received  orders  to 
carry  us  as  far  as  China  and  there  hand  us  over 
to*,  Perry's  expedition.  *  But  as  Perry  had  not 
arrived,  we  were  to  be  transferred  to  the  China 
squadron. 

About  the  beginning  of  June  the  Si.  Mary  set 
sail  homeward  bound.  It  was  with  great  regret 
that  we  had  left  her,  for  the  officers  and  crew  had 
been  kindness  itself.  As  the  St.  Mary  slid  along 
and  passed  the  SusqueJianna  the  men  of  the  flag- 
ship gave  three  cheers;  These  were  returned  by 
the  crew  of  the  St.  Mary,  and  in  a  few  hours 
she  was  out  of  sight.  And  we  all  were  very 
sad  for  we  felt  as  if  we  had  just  lost  a  very  dear 
friend. 

A  few  days  after  the  Susquehanna  left  Macao 
for  Hongkong,  Here  we  remained  for  several 
weeks.  And  the  weather  became  sweltering  hot,  and 
we  suffered  terribly.  For  the  quarters  provided  for 
us  on  board  the  flag-ship  were  extremely  cramped 
and  unpleasant.  And  the  ways  of  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  SusqueJianna  were  not  as  those  of  the 
officers  and  men  of  the  Polk  and  of  the  St.  Mary. 
For  the  Susquehanna  people  were  rough  and  unkind 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  II- 


to  us.  And  the  reason  for  that  we  found  from 
Thomas  to  be  this : — 

The  StisqueJiamia  had  been  for  long  upon  the 
China  Station,  and  had  become  accustomed  to  deal 
with  Chinamen.  Now  the  Chinese  are  a  greedy 
and  a  cringing  race,  and  to  make  money  will  sub- 
mit to  any  treatment, — even  to  being  kicked  and 
beaten  like  beasts.  Wherefore  the  people  of  the 
Susquehanna  fancied  that  we  were  folks  of  the  same 
spirit,  or  rather  want  of  spirit,  and  they  treated  us 
in  the  same  fashion  as  they  treated  the  Chinese. 

But  in  this  they  were  wrong.  For  in  our  child- 
hood we  had  been  taught  that  man  must  respect 
man  as  man,  and  not  treat  him  like  a  beast.  So 
this  treatment  caused  some  of  our  elders  to  become 
very  vexed.  But  notwithstanding  we'  coiild  not 
help  it.  For  we  had  no  right  to  complain  since  we 
were  at  their  mercy.  And  even  if  we  had  had  the 
wish  to  complain  it  would  have  been  unavailing. 
For  our  interpreter  knew  very  few  words  of  our  lan- 
guage, and  we  knew  scarcely  a  word  of  theirs. 
Wherefore  we  kept  silent,  but  anger  began  to 
smoulder  in  our  breasts. 

One  evening  in  July  the  heat  became  so  stifling 
as  to  be  all  but  unbearable.  So  some  of  us 
went  on  deck,  and  threw  ourselves  down  on  the 
space  between  the  paddle-boxes  where  some  sailors 
were  lying  stretched  out.  We  fancied  that  there 


Il6  THE   NARRATIVE 


could  be  no  harm  in  doing  this,  inasmuch  as  wfc 
were  certainly  in  no  one's  way.  But  when  the  eyes 
of  the  officer  of  the  watch  fell  up  us  he  shouted  out 
something  in  a  loud  voice.  Then  he  kicked  us 
with  his  shoes  and  pointed  down  for  us  to  go  below. 
Thus  we  were  driven  down  to  our  quarters  on  the 
berth-deck  like  a  herd  of  swine.  This  made  us 
very  wrathful.  But  that  was  all.  For,  on  account 
of  the  reasons  before-stated  we  could  make  no  com- 
plaint to  the  Commanding  officer,  ancj  even  if  we 
did,  the  interpreter  said  he  thought  no  good  would 
result.  Wherefore  after  this  not  one  of  us  wished 
to  remain  on  board  the  Silsquehanna. 

One  Sunday  we  got  leave  to  go  ashore.  And 
in  the  course  of  our  wandering  we  came  to  a  joss- 
house  in  the  Chinese  quarter.  The  priest  saw  that 
we  were  strangers  and  he  kindly  asked  us  to  come 
in.  So  we  entered  and  he  treated  us  hospitably, 
giving  us  tea  and  tobacco.  And  because  we  could 
not  speak  each  other's  language  we  communicated 
by  writing  ;  for  although  Chinese  and  Japanese  are 
pronounced  in  a  fashioft  utterly  different,  yet  the 
written  characters  are  the  same. 

We  asked  the  priest  whether  there  was  a  road 
from  Hongkong  to  Nanking,  and  if  so  whether  we 
could  not  get  there  overland,  if  we  wished  to.  To 
this  he  wrote  back  to  say  that  there  was  a  road,  a 
good  one,  though  the  distance  was  great.  And  he 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  1*7 


signified  that  he  would  give  us  a  passport,  which 
•would  carry  us  safely  to  the  city  of  Nanking,  inas- 
much as  the  people  on  the  way  would  help  us  when 
we  showed  the  passport  issued  by  him,  he  being  a 
holy  man.  !  .t; 

Upon  learning  this,  we  then  and  there  consult- 
ed together.  And  some  of  us  said  that  it  was 
better  to  go  overland  to  Nanking  with  the  priest's 
passport  than  to  remain  on  board  the  frigate  to  be 
treated  like  beasts.  Wherefore  they  asked  the 
priest  for  the  passport.  And  he  immediately  wrote 
on  red  paper  in  large  characters  and  handed  it  to 
our  party.  And  at  the  same  time  he  instructed  us 
as  to  the  way  we  should  travel,  naming  in  its  turn 
each  town  and  road  they  should,  follow  after  leav- 
ing the  opposite  shore  toward  the  interior  highway. 

Then  we  thanked  the  priest  for  aiding  us  and 
bade  him  adieu.  We  went  and  called  on  Mr.  Riki- 
matsu,  a  countryman  of  ours  then  residing  in  Hong- 
kongt  And  at  his  house  we  consulted  as  to  who 
should  go  and  who  should  remain  behind,  in  that 
the  way  was  a  long  and  a  hard  one  for  old  men 
and  boys. 

And  it  was  decided  that  the  eight  strongest 
and  most  robust  of  our  party  should  fare  overland 
to  Nankin  en  route  for  our  country,  while  the  other 
eight  together  with  Thomas  should  await  the 
coming  of  the  ships  of  Perry  in  which  to  return 


i 

1 1 8  THE   NARRATIVE 


to  our  native  land.  And  it  was  agreed  that  which- 
ever party  reached  our  home  first  should  report 
the  safety  of  the  others  to  their  families  and  friends. 

"Thus  the  whole  programme  was  laid  out,  and 
we  did  not  go  on  board  the  frigate  that  evening, 
since  our  wish  was  fo  wish  the  other  eight  '  God 
speed'  at  to-morrow's  sunrise. 

Next  morning  the  rain  poured  down,  and  the 
day  looked  of  evil  omen  for  starting  on  .such  a 
serious  journey.  But  those  eight  men  had  set  their 
minds  on-  going.  So  at  8  a.m.  they  hired  a  sampan 
to  carry  them  over  to  the  opposite  coast,  and  thus 
they  left  us. 

When  we  got  on  board  the  Susquehanna  the 
deck-officer  asked  us  why  we  had  not  come  on 
board 'the  previous  evening,  and  where  our  com- 
panions still  were.  We  replied  through  Thomas 
that  we  had  been  invited  by  a  countryman  to  dinner 
and  had  got  belated,  and  so  had  remained  at  his 
house,  and  that  the  others  would  be  on  board 
presently.  This  seemed  to  satisfy  the  officer,  for 
he  seemed  not  to  care  much  about  our  movements 
or  what,  became  of  us,  for  we  saw  quite  plainly  that 
the  people  of  the  Su-squehanna  looked  upon  us  as 
so  much  lumber  in  their  way,  and  a  burden  upon 
them. 

When  we  went  below  we  told  the  men  who 
had  not  gone  ashore  of  all  the  happenings.  When 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  119 


they-  heard  all  they  were  glad,  and  prayed  for  the 
safety  and  success  of  the  eight  men  who  had  fared 
forth  to  Nanking. 

That  same  evening  after  supper  some  of  us 
went  on  deck  for  a-  smoke.  From  the  opposite 
shore  a  sampan  came  alongside,  and  in  it  we  saw 
four  of  our  companions  from  whom  we  had  parted 
in  the  morning. 

They  were  in  a  piteous  state,  almost  naked,, 
with  only  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of  drawers  apiece. 
When  they  came  on  board  we  asked  them  what 
had  befallen  them,  and  they  told  us  the  following 
tale: — 

The  party'  had  landed  and  threaded  their  way 
along  the  so-called  road  to  Nanking  as  directed  in 
the  writing  of  tne  priest  of  the  Hongkong  joss- 
house.  The  said 'writing  and  passport  were  shown 
at  intervals  of  a  few  minutes  at  all  the  way-side 
villages,  and  the  villagers  seemed  to  shew  kindness 
in  pointing  out  the  road.  The  party  Went  on  in 
safety  for  about  1 2  or  15  miles,  through  an  undulat- 
ing country  with  villages  scattered  about  among 
the  hills  and  valleys.  At  last  as  they  crossed  one 
of  these  hills,  and.  were  descending  into  a  valley, 
the  inhabitants  from  all  directions  sprang  upon 
them,  and  surrounded  them  with  poles,  axes,  spades 
and  knives.  They  gave  the  party  to  understand 
that  they  must  surrender  everything  they  had,  and 


120  THE   NARRATIVE 


take  off  everything  they  had  on.  Under  the 
menace  of  instant  death  our  companions  were  con- 
strained to  do  so.  They  had  only  succeeded  in 
saving  their  lives  and  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of  drawers 
apiece. 

While  the  first  four  of  the  party  were  narrat- 
ing their  experiences,  the  other  four  came  on  board 
in  an  equally  piteous  plight.. 

We  learned  afterwards  that  the  road  our  com- 
panions tried  to  follow  led  through  one  of  the  most 
notorious  nests  of  thieves  and  pirates  in  the  whole 
of  China.  And  that  was  the  end  of  the  matter  of 
that  priest's  passport  and  the  attempt  to  reach  our 
country  overland  by  way  of  Nanking. 

We  had  now  no  resource  but  to  submit  in 
patience  to  the  harsh  treatment  of  the  officers  of 
the  SusqueJianna.  They  did  n*ot  know  exactly 
what  had  occurred,  for  the  party  merely  told  them 
that  on  'crossing  to  see  the  opposite  shore  they  had 
been  assailed  by  thieves  and  footpads  who  had 
forcibly  dispossessed  them  of  their  raiment.  But 
now  the  officers  treated  us  even  more  severely 
than  before. 

Two  weeks  thereafter  the  vessel  left  Hong- 
kong for  a  port  not  far  from  Macao  where  the 
commander  intended  to  give  liberty  to  his  men 
as  usual. 

While  lying  there,  our  friend  the  interpreter 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  121 


Thomas  got  tired  of  waiting  for  Commodore  Perry's 
squadron.  He  wished  to  get  back  to  California 
before  the  gold  fever  was  over,  to  make  money. 
One  day  he  explained  his  purpose  to  me  and  asked 
me  to  accompany  him,  offering  to  pay  all  my  ex- 
penses. He  said  that  if  I  went  with  him  I  could 
learn  the  English  language,  and  that  in  a  few  years 
Japan  would  surely  be  opened,  and  then  I  could  go 
back  without  any  fear.  He  pointed  out  that  it  was 
for  my  own  interest  as  well  as  for  the  interest  of 
the  Government  of  Japan  that  I  should  return  with 
a  full  knowledge  of  the  foreigners'  language. 

But  I  was  still  young  and  did  not  know  the 
advantage  of  what  he  proposed.  So  at  first  I  de- 
clined to  go  since  I  was  afraid  to  leave  all  my 
countrymen  to  go  afar  among  strangers.  He  then 
asked  me  if  I  would  go  if  he  took  one  of  my  com- 
panions also.  To  this  I  said,  "  Yes,"  and  then  he 
selected  Kame  who  after  me  was  the  youngest  of 
the  party.  Then  one  called  Tora  asked  Thomas 
to  take  him  too,  and  he  consented  to  do  so. 

We  then  discussed  the  matter  with  the  rest  of 
our  company.  Some  of  them  said  that  it  was 
wrong  for  us  to  separate  from  the  party,  while 
others  thought  it  could  do  no  harm  and  would  be 
best,  in  that  we  might  find  some  chance  of  reaching 
home  earlier  than  by  waiting  for  the  ships  of  Perry. 
And  the  view  of  the  latter  party  prevailed. 


122  THE   NARRATIVE 


So  one  day  we  applied  to  Commodore  Aulick 
for  our  leave  and  Thomas'  discharge,  and  the  Com- 
modore granted  our  request. 

Then  we  made  ready  and  one  day  we  .hired  a 
sampan  •  to  take  us  to  Macao.  We  had  said  Sayo- 
nara  to  our  friends,  and  were  just  descending  into 
the  sampan  when  one  of  our  mates  and  some  of 
our  elders  waxed  jealous  and  made  objections  to 
our  leaving  them.  So  we  concluded  not  to  go. 

But  at  this  point  the  deck-officer  asked  what 
was  being  said  at  the  gangway.  Then  Thomas 
explained,  and  the  deck-officer  said  that  as  we  had 
permission  to  leave  "we  must  go  and  no  delay 
about  it."  So  we  had  to  go  perforce,  and  straight- 
way we  started  for  Macao. 

We  arrived  there  in  due  course,  and  took  up 
our  quarters  at  a .  hotel  kept  by  a  man  named 
Frank,  a  very  respectable  Portuguese,  This  hotel 
was  kept  in  excellent  style,  and  we  were  cared  for 
exceedingly  well. 

When  we  got  to  Hongkong  we  put  up  at  a 
cheap  boarding-house.  This  was  because  Thomas' 
funds  were  slender.  However  the  house  was  kept 
in  good  order  by  a  very  respectable  American. 
When  he  heafcl  our  story  from  Thomas  he  shewed 
us  the  greatest  kindness  and  attention,  and  made  us 
very  comfortable  while  we  were  there. 

In   a-  week   we   saw    an  •  advertisement    an- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  123 


nouncing  that  the  British  barque  Sarah  Hooper,  an 
old  vessel  of  about  400  tons,  was  to  sail  for  San 
Francisco.  So  we  went  on  board  to  see  her ;  she 
looked  pretty  old  and  not  in  very  good  condition. 
However  when  repaired  she  would  be  strong.  So 
our  friend  Thomas  took  passage  by  her  at  the  rate 
of  $50  for  each  of  us.  As  she  had  no  first  or 
second  cabin  we  had  to  go  in  the  steerage.  After 
a  voyage  of  50  days  we  arrived  at  San  Francisco 
in  the  beginning  of  December  1852. 

As  soon  as  we  had  anchored  our  friend 
Thomas  went  on  shore,  taking  Tora  and  Kame 
with  him  and  leaving  me  on  board  the  barque  to 
look  after  the  baggage.  In  three  hours  they  re- 
turned, and  reported  that  they  had  found  our  old 
friends  on  board  the  Revenue  cutter  Frolic,  and 
that  these  had  all  expressed  their  pleasure  at  our 
arrival  and  had  promised  to  help  us. 

Then  we  all  went  off  and  Thomas  and  I  went 
on  board  the  Frolic,  where  I  was  welcomed  by 
Lieutenants  Carson  and  Wilkinson  who  had  been 
on  board  the  Polk  when  we  left  her  in  the  early- 
part  of  the  year  for  China. 

Thomas  requested  these  gentlemen  to  keep 
me  on  board  till  he  found  a  suitable  place  for  me 
on  shore.  And  they  willingly  consented  to  do  so. 
Then  Thomas  again  went  off  with  Tora  and  Kame 
to  find  situations  for  them.  This  was  the  first 


124  THE   NARRATIVE 


occasion  since  leaving  my  native  land  that  I  had 
been  left  all  alone  without  any  of  my  companions 
near,  and  I  felt  very  sad  and  lonely,  notwithstand- 
ing that  the  officers  of  the  cutter  were  old  acquain- 
tances and  exceedingly  kind  to  me. 

However  after  a  few  moments  I  reflected  that 
I  must  now  play  the  man  ;  we  had  left  our  friends 
over  in  China  and  come  back  here  to  work  and  to 
make  money  to  the  end  that  one  day  we  might  yet 
return  to  our  far-distant  home  with  our  earnings. 
So  since  I  was  without  any  parent  or  relative  to 
whom  I  might  appeal  for  help,  of  myself  I  plucked 
up  heart  and  faced  the  matter  stoutly.  And  then  I 
knew  that  from  thenceforth  I  must  look  to  myself, 
and  this  was  the  day  in  my  life  when,  my  cares 
began,  and  from  that  time  they  have  continued 
ever  on. 


OF    A,  JAPANESE.  125 


XII. 

Whilst  thus  musing  in  my  bunk  I  was  sud- 
denly arouaed  by  a  trampling  overhead,  by  the 
sound  of  orders  hoarsely  and  gruffly  given,  by  the 
shaking  of  sails  and  the  listing  of  the  vessel  to  one 
side.  So  I  scrambled  up  on  deck,  when,  lo !  the 
Frolic  was  under  weigh  and  just  nearing  the  mouth 
of  the  harbour  we  had  passed  through  that  morning. 
I  then  discovered  that  the  Captain  had  been  ashore 
when  I  went  on  board.  He  had  received  a  cer- 
tain order  from  the  Collector  of  the  Port,  where- 
upon he  had  come  on  board  over-night  together 
with  a  passenger,  and  had  just  got  the  vessel  under 
weigh  for  Monterey,  80  miles  down  the  coast. 

We  arrived  at  Monterey  next  day  and  stayed 
one  night.  Then  we  sailed  for  Kathleen  Island 
with  its  beautiful  land-locked  harbour.  There  we 
remained  a  few  days  and  -careened  the  Frolic. 
Then  we  made  for  San  Diego  where  we  remained 
two  days,  and  then  we  started  on  our  return  voyage 
via  Monterey,  where  we  anchored  on  Dec.  24th. 


126  THE   NARRATIVE 


Next  day  was  Christmas  Day  and  the  rain 
came  down.  The  Captain  ordered  the  men  ashore 
to  scrub  €he  hammocks.  They  spent  sorne  hours 
in  doing  so,  and  some  of  them  got  tight  with  liquor. 
In  the  evening  they  came  aboard  and  some  of 
them  began  to  fight  for  their  share  of  "  dough  "  (i.e. 
plum-pudding).  One  man  in  particular  was  amus- 
ing. He  had  come  aboard  at'  sundown,  in  a  very 
unstable  and  knock-kneed  condition,  and  had  at 
once  set  a-clamouring  for  his  ."  dough."  The 
cook  made  answer  that  those  who  had  gone  ashore- 
had  had  a  good  time  and 'doubtless  had  had  store 
enough  of  good  things  to  eat  there  and  therefore 
.had  no  need  of  a  share  in  the  "dough."  But  the 
man  called  out  the  more  that  whether  he  had  had  a 
store  of  good  things  ashore  or  not,  his  share  of  the 
"dough"  he  would  have,  and  went  staggering  all 
oVer  the  place  loudly  shouting  "Where  is  my 
dough? "  This  was  on. the  berth  deck  and  the  men 
in  the  hammocks  could  get  no  sleep  by  reason  of  his 
clamour.  And  ;one  of  them  told  hirh  to  "  shut  up." 
Then  there  was  a  fight  betwixt  these  two  men,  and 
in  the  midst  of  that  battle  the  officer  appeared. 
And  that  officer  put  the  tipsy  man  in  irons,  and  fed 
him  on  hard  bread  and  water  till  we  arrived  at  San 
Francisco.  And  that  was  his  share  of  the  Christ- 
mas "dough." 

Next  day  we  sailed   for  San   Francisco  and 


OF   A   JAPANESE.     .  127 


arrived  there  in  due  course.  As  soon  as  we  an- 
chored our  good  friend  Thomas  hastened  on  board. 
He  was  very  glad  to  see  me  back  safe,  since  he 
said  that  some  of  the  local  papers  had  reported  that 
the  Frolic  had  been  lost. 

I  told  Thomas  that  I  did  not  care  to  remain 
on  board  a  small  vessel,  for  I  had  suffered  much 
on  the  trip  to  San  Diego.  To  this  he  answered 
that  although  he  had  been  trying  to  get  a  good 
place  for  me  on  shore,  yet  so  far  'he  had  not  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  so.  He  advised  me  to  remain  a 
little  while  longer  till  he  found  one,  since  he  could 
not  yet  afford  Co  defray  my  expenses  ashore.  For 
the  good  man  had  spent  nearly  all  his  money  for 
our  passage  from  China. 

Thus  I  had  no  alternative  but  to  stay  where  I 
was,  and  I  remained  on  the  Frolic  till  the  following 
April.  Then  it  appeared  that  a  strife  arose  between 
the  Captain  and  the  officers  with  respect  to  my  wages. 
The  officers  knew  that  I  worked  just  as  well  as  any 
American  in  a  similar  capacity,  and  held  that  I  was 
entitled  to  somq  remuneration  for  my  services 
accordingly.  But  the  Captain  would  in  no  wise  hear 
of  this.  He  said  that  I  did  not  know  sufficient  of 
the  language  to  be  of  any  service  on  the  ship,  and 
that  food  alone"  was  payment  enough  for  my  labour. 
By  reason  of  this  speech  the  two  Lieutenants  were 
greatly  vexed,  and  sent  for  Thomas  and  advised 


128  THE   NARRATIVE 


him  to  take  me  ashore.  They  told  him  that  if  he 
could  not  get  a  place  to  suit  me  at  once,  or  could 
not  afford  to  make  advances  for  me,  they  would  be 
responsible  for  my  board.  This  they  did  to  vex 
the  Captain,  for  they  said  that  if  I  left  the  ship  the 
"old  man"  would  have  to  fill  my  place  with  an- 
other hand  at  full  wages. 

So  Thomas  consented  to  take  the  burden  of 
my  support  again  upon  his  shoqlders,  for  those 
broad  and  honest  shoulders  of  the  good  man's 
were  now  considerably  lightened.  He  had  found 
positions  for  Tora  and  Kame  at  $70  and  $60  a 
month  respectively :  the  former  was  on  board  the 
revenue  cutter  Argus  at  Benicia  with  Capt.  Pease, 
and  the  latter  on  the  surveying  cutter  Ewing. 

Thus  I  left  the  Frolic  for  ever  and  went  up  to 
meet  Tora  at  Benicia.  There  Capt.  Pease  was  glad 
to  see  us  and  invited  us  to  stay  on  board  his  vessel 
till  he  should  find  a  place  for  me.  And  as  for 
Thomas,  Capt.  Pease  gave  him  his  old  post  of 
master-at-arms  at  $50  a  month  to  begin  with. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival  Capt.  Pease  ob- 
tained for  me  a  situation  in  one  of  the  large  board- 
ing-houses at  a  salary  of  $25  per  month.  The 
work  was  rather  heavy  for  a  boy  of  15,  although 
the  proprietor  and  his  son  often  lent  a  willing  hand 
to  help  me.  But  the  Chinese  cook  used  to  secret- 
ly saddle  me  with  his  dirty  work,  and  this  thing  I 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  129 


did  not  like  at  all.  So  the  Captain  and  Thomas 
got  another  situation  for  me  in  a  nice  genteel  board- 
ing-house kept  by  a  lady  and  her  two  daughters. 
There  were  only  five  or  six  guests  there, — all 
gentlemen  of 'the  first  class,  Thus  the  wotk  was 
very  light  although  the  pay  was  $5  per  month  better 
than  in  the  first  place. 

One  evening. I  had  leave  from  the, proprietors 
to  go  and  see  my  friends  on  the  cutter.  When  I 
got  on  board,  I  found  that  the  Captain  had  gone  to 
San  Francisco  on  business.  So  Thomas,  Tora  and 
I  went  on  deck  and  began  to  talk  of  things  in  gene- 
ral, while  looking  for  the  coming  of  the  Captain. 
Presently  all  the  steamers  had  come  up  from  'Frisco 
en  route  for  Sacramento.  In  a  few  more  minutes 
we  observed  the  Captain  approaching  accompanied 
by  a  stranger.  And  when  my  eyes  fell  upon  that 
stranger  my  heart  gave  a  great  leap.  For  the 
man  was  dressed  in  the  raiment  of  my  native  land, 
with  a  sword  stuck  in  his  girdle  and  carrying  a 
bundle  in  ^furoshiki  (wrapper). 

And  Tora  turned  to  me  and  with  serious  face 
whispered  his  thoughts  into  my  ear. 

"  We  did  wrong  in  that  we  left  our  compa- 
nions in  China  against  their  will.  Now  these  men 
perchance  have  got  to  their  homes,  and  have  told 
the  Government  the  story  of  how  we  parted  from 
them,  and  now  this  is  an  officer  sent  to  take  us 


I3O  THE   NARRATIVE 

back  to  Japan  to  pay  the  penalty  of  our  wrong- 
doing." 

So  we  were  very  much  in  fear  on  account  of 
that  man  and  his  sword. 

But  when  they  came  on  board  the  Captain 
came  up  to -us  and  told  us  that  he  had  brought  an- 
other shipwrecked  countryman  of -our  own  that  had 
been  picked  up  by  an  American  fruit  schooner  from 
the  South  Sea  Islands.  And  he  said  that  he 
brought  him  here  with  a  view  to  aiding  him, 
and  to  rinding  out  more  about  his  case  from  him 
through  us.  When  we  heard  this  we  were 
greatly  comforted,  and  fear  disappeared  from  our 
minds. 

We  went  up  to  the  man  who  stood  at  the 
gangway.  And  he  bowed  towards  us  not  know- 
ing that  we  were  his  countrymen,  for  our  dress 
and  manner  of  wearing  our  hair  were  the  same  as 
the  American.  And  when  we  addressed  him  and 
uttered  ourselves  in  our  native  speech  he  opened 
his  eyes  wildly.  And  then  he  fell  'on  his  knees, 
and  putting  both  his  hands  together,  bent  his  fore- 
head to  the  deck,  and  prayed  to  us  to  help  him, 
even  as  we  ourselves  had  done  what  time  the 
barque  had  picked  us  up. 

But'  we  told  him  to  fear  not,  and  went  on  to 
say  the  Captain  wished  to  know  all  the  story  of  his 
being  cast  away.  And  on  hearing  these  words  he 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


seemed  much  relieved  and  sat  up  and  told  us  of 
the  happening  of  his  misfortune. 

He  had  been  supercargo  of  a  vessel  of  1,200 
koku,  that  sailed  from  Niigata  in  Echigo  to  Hakodate. 
While  she  was  on  her  return  voyage  with  a  crew 
of  1 2  hands  besides  himself  as  supercargo,  it  had 
fallen  dead  calm  in  Tsugaru  Straits  between  Yezo 
and  the  mainland  and  the  set  of  the  current  had 
swept  the  vessel  out  to  sea.  Then  when  the  wind 
had  again  come  up  and  the  ship  had  struggled  to 
regain  die  coast,  the  rudder  broke  and  the  craft  be- 
came unmanageable.  Upon  this  she  drifted  away 
into  the  limitless  ocean,  and  for  four  whole  months 
she  was  the  sport  of  the  winds  and  the  waves.  Her 
cargo  was  salt  fish,  and  beyond  this  of  provisions 
there  were  none.  So  that  in  the  lapse  of  time  all 
her  company  died  of  disease  and  hunger ;  only  the 
man  himself  alone  survived.  And  the  ship  drifted 
on  and  on.  At  last  when  he  was  all  but  dead,  and 
no  sense  left  in  him  more,  he  had  been  rescued  by 
some  Americans  and  they  had  brought  him  to  San 
Francisco. 

This  story  was  written  down  by  Thomas,  who 
handed  it  to  the  Captain  and  it  was  printed  in  one 
of  the  San  Francisco  papers. 

As  I  was  ready  to  go  back  to  my  place  that 
night,  Captain  Pease  told  me  to  aske  for  Cleave 
of  absence  for  a  few  days.  He  said  the  schooner 


132  THE   NARRATIVE 


was  going  to  San  Francisco,  and  he  wished  me  to 
go  with  him  as  interpreter.  For  it  was  in  his  mind 
to  see  the  Collector  of  the  Port  in  order  to  get  for 
that  man  clothing  and  a  means  of  support  from 
the  Government. 

So  I  did  as  I  was  told  and  got  leave,  and  went 

on  the  schooner,  and  arrived   in   San  .Francisco 

i 

about  the  2nd  of  June,  1853. 

After  breakfast,  the  Captain,  Thomas,  Jiutaro 
(the  man)  and  myself  went  to  the  office  of  the 
Collector  of  Customs,  where  we  were  at  once 
received  by  the  Collector  himself,  Mr.  B.  C. 
Sanders. 

Before  we  reached  the  Custom-House  how- 
ever I  had  to  buy  a  new  coat.  So  on  our  way  we 
stopped  at  a  shop  and  I  selected  a  dark-blue  cloth 
frock-coat,  vest  and  pants  which  cost  me  $32  in  all. 
Thus,  these  clothes  cost  me  more  than  a  whole 
month's  wages.  But  it  was  the  first  time  I  had 
bought  clothes  with  my  own  earnings,  and  it  was  a 
proud  thought  for  me  to  think  that  now  at  last  I 
had  clad  myself  with  the  sweat  of  my  brow. 
Wherefore  I  was  pleased  with  my  purchase,  al- 
though it  cost  me  dear. 

When  I  put  these  clothes  on,  I  looked  at  my- 
self in  the  shop-mirror  time  and  again,  and  found 
that  I  seemed  an  entirely  different  being  from  the 
one  'that  had  entered  the  shop.  And  then  our 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  133 


native  saying  came  into  my  mind  "  even  the  straw- 
figure  depends  on  its  'covering.'  " 

The  collector  questioned  Jiutaro  on-  various 
matters,  and  I  interpreted  with  the  aid  of  the  Cap- 
tain and  Thomas,,  they  putting  my  words  into  good 
English.  And  when  the  Collector  had  done  and 
finished  his  questions  he  granted  all  that  had  been 
asked  and  ordered  the  man  to  be  kept  on  board 
the  Argus  until  a  fair  diance  of  returning  to  his 
native  land  should  offer. 

As  we  were  about  to  withdraw  the  Collector 
said  something  to  Capt.  Pease,  at  die  same  time 
pointing  to  me.  Then  through  Thomas  it  was  told 
me  that  the  Collector  wished  me  to  come  and  live 
with  him.  If  I  went,  he  said  he  would  'send  me  to 
school  and  educate  me.  At  the  same  time  Capt. 
Pease  earnestly  advised  me  to  accept  this  fine  offer. 
So  I  replied  that  I 'would  willingly  come  if  I  could 
get  leave  from  my  present  employer.  This  Capt. 
Pease  said  he  thought  I  could  do  easily. 

I  had  originally  intended  to  return  to  Benicia 
in  the  Argus,  but  now  it  was  thought  well  that  I 
I  should  hurry  back  on  one  of  the  passenger 
steamers.  My  employers  were  glad  to  see  me 
back  earlier  than  I  had  promised  and  asked  me  the 
reason  of  my  speedy  return.  Then  I  told  them  all 
that  had  befallen  and  asked  them  for  my  leave. 
To  this  request  the  lady  of  the  house  replied  that 


134  THE   NARRATIVE 


she  did  not  like  to  part  with  me,  and  that  if  it  was  a 
mere  question  of  wages  she  would  raise  them  to 
$40  or  $45  a  month.  I  thanked  her  for  her  offer/ 
but  said  that  it  was  no  matter  of  wages  at  all ;  it 
was  only  my  desire  to  avail  myself  of  this  chance 
of  receiving  an  education.  Hereupon  she  said  that, 
if  that  was  the  true  reason  of  my  going  she  could 
offer  no  objection  at  all,  and  then  she  wound  up  by 
saying  some  very  nice  things  about  the  way  I  had 
served  in  their  house. 

June  1 5th*  On  this  day.it  had  been  agreed 
I  was  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Collector  of  the 
Port.  So  when  we  reached  San  Francisco  Capt. 
Pease  and  I  went  ashore,  Thomas  accompanying 
us  as  interpreter.  After  the  Collector  and  the 
Captain  had  had  some  talk  they  requested  Thomas 
to  tell  me  what  my  duties  would  be.  These  were 
to  wait  on  the  , Collector  in  the  office,  to  -fold 
papers  and  file  letters  and  go  round  with  the 
gentleman  whenever  he  wished  me  to  do  so. 
Then,  after  some  good  advice,  Capt.  Pease  and 
Thomas  left  me  alone  with  the  Collector.  He 
indicated  by  signs  that  I  was  to  fold  the  old  letters 
and  file  them,  and  I  began  to  do  so.  I  felt  as  if  I 
had  been  made  a  gentleman  all  in  a  twinkling,  and 
felt  quite  proud  of  myself  for  having  had  the  luck 
to  jump  so  suddenly  from  the  sort  of  work  I  had 
been  compelled  to  do  before. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  135 


In  the  afternoon  I  was  introduced  to  a  large, 
gray-headed,  clean-shaven  man  in  a  black  suit  and 
swallow-tail  coat.  And  my  old  gentleman  said  to 
me,  by  holding  up  his  thumb  "That's  a  big  man." 
I  fancied  that  he  referred  to  the  size  of  his  body, 
since  it  really  was  big  in  every  way.  When  I  was 
introduced,  the  man  shook  hands  with  me,  stretching 
out  a  great  fist  which  completely  wrapped  my  little 
hand  out  of  sight,  at  the  same  time  saying,  "  How 
are  you?"  He  also  said  something  else  the  only 
part  of  which  I  understood  being  "  Can  you  speak 
English?"  This  personage  was  no  other  than  the 
famous  Senator  Gwinn  of  California. 

About  3  p.m.  the  old  gentleman  signed  to  me 
to  shut  the  desk,  and  I  did  so.  Then  we  went 
downstairs  where  we  found  a  carriage  waiting  for 
us.  In  this  we  drove  to  the  private  office  of  my 
new  employer,  for  besides  being  Collector  of  the 
Port,  the  old  gentleman  carried  on  business  as  a 
private  banker  in  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Branam. 
When  we  entered  I  was  introduced  to  his  son,  whot 
seemed  about  24  or  25  years  of  age  and  somewhat 
delicate.  Then  the  son  introduced  me  to  all  the 
clerks,  book-keepers  and  even  to  the  porters. 
They  all  looked  upon  me  with  curiosity,  being  from 
Japan,  and  all  were  very  kind  and  attentive  to  me. 

About  half-past-four  we  drove  out  to  Mr. 
Sanders'  home  at  the  corner  of  Mission  Road  and 


1 


136  THE   NARRATIVE 


Kearney  Street.  He  lived  here  in  one  of  a  number 
.of  beautiful  detached  cottages  with  flower  gardens 
in  front  of  them.  He  took  me  in  and  introduced 
me  to  his  housekeeper  saying  that  I  had  come  to 
live  with  him  and  "telling  her  that  she  must  take 
good  care  of  me. 

About  the  beginning  of  July  I  was  told  to  pre- 
pare to  accompany  the  old  gentleman  to  his  home 
in  the  Eastern  States.  So  I  went  to  see  Thomas 
and  Tora  and  told  them  of  the  thing,  when  they  both 
objected  strongly  and  tried  to  persuade  me  not  to 
go.  They  asked  me  what  wages  I  was  receiving 
per  month.  I  answered  that  I  had  ,no  special 
agreement,  and  that  an  education  was  the  main 
thing  I  looked  to.  Then  they  said  that  I  was  act- 
ing foolishly  in  having  no  fixed  agreement  for 
wages,  as  the  time  for  making  money  in  California 
would  soon  be  over,  and  that  therefore  I  should 
make,  as  much  money  as  I  could  then.  I  answered 
that  making  money  was  all  well  and  good,  but 
my  so-called  work  was  really  play,  and  in  return 
for  it  I  was  getting  pocket-money,  board  and  wash- 
ing, which  was  more  than  ample  for  what  I  was 
doing.  However  they  insisted  that  I  should  not 
go  East  on  any  account.  So  when  I  came  ashore 
I  asked  one  of  the  clerks  to  tell  the  old  gentleman 
about  this. 

Mr.  Sanders  immediately  instructed  a  clerk  to 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  137 


see  my  friends  and  learn  the  grounds  of  their  objec- 
tion. It  then  came  out  that  I  owed  Thomas  about 
$80  for  my  passage  from  China  and  subsequent 
expenses.  About  this  I  myself  knew  nothing  as 
Thomas  had  never  mentioned  the  matter  to  me. 
The  clerk  promised  that  Mr.  Sanders  would  pay 
this  sum  and  told  Thomas  of  his  intention  to  put 
me  to  school  in  the  East.  Then  Thomas  at  once 
agreed  that  it  was  best  for  me  to  go.  I  did  not 
find  out  these  facts  until  long  afterwards,  for  with 
that  noble-minded  generosity  which  was  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  old  gentleman  ,he  never  said  a  single 
word  to  me  about  this  transaction. 

In  the  middle  of  July  we  sailed  for  the  East  via 
San  Juan  del  Sue  and  arrived  at  New  York  on  the 
5th  August  1853,  and  went  to  the  Metropolitan 
Hotel. 

Then  Mr.  Sanders  said  that  his  home  and 
family  were  yet  200  miles  distant  and  that  he  had 
to  tell  his  people  by  a  wire  that  he  had  arrived  and 
that  he  would  be  there  next  day.  He  told  me  too 
that  he  would  receive  an  answer  to  his  message  in 
about  20  minutes.  This  I  did  not  believe ;  I  thought 
he  was  telling  me  something  not  true  merely  by 
way  of  a  joke,  in  order  to  astonish  me.  For  he 
perceived  that  many  things  had  excited  my  wonder. 
So  I  merely  smiled  and  said  nothing,  and  then  he 
asked  me  to  follow  him ;  and  I  did. 


138  THE    NARRATIVE 


We  went  down  to  the  basement  where  we 'found 
an  office  and  a  man  at  the  counter.  Here  Mr. 
Sanders  wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper  and  handed  it  to 
man.  Then  the  latter  began  to  operate  on  a  piece  of 
machinery  which  went  on  'click!  click!  clicking-'  as 
he  so  operated.  I  watched  closely  but  I ,  could  ob- 
serve nothing  save  the  clicking  and  the  man's  hands 
in  motion.  Then  we  re-ascended  and  the  old  gen- 
tleman took  up  a,  newspaper  while  I,  being  curious 
about  the  place,  went  round  inspecting  the  various 
rooms  with  the  pictures  on  the  walls.  Presently 
the  clerk  from  the  counter  brought  a  message  under 
cover.  Mr.  Sanders  opened  it  and  read  it.  He 
then  explained  to  me  that  his  message  had  reached 
his  family  and  that  this  was  the  reply,  which  said 
that  his  brojher-in-law  would  await  our  .arrival  at 
the  Baltimore  Station  on  the  following  evening. 
Still  I  could  not  believe  it.  For  how  could  a 
message  run  along  a  wire  faster  by.  far  than  a  bird 
could  fly.  It  surely  was  impossible  and  the  old 
gentleman  was  only  making  sport  of  me.  How- 
ever, when  we  reached  Baltimore  next  day  there 
was  a  carriage  with  his  brother-in-law  waiting  for 
us.  Then  perforce  I  believed  that  his  words  were 
true. 

We  left  New  York  next  morning  at  7  o'clock. 
On  the  way  to  the  Depot  he  told  me  we  were  to  ride 
iri  a  carriage  drawn  by  a  steam-engine, -which  could 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  139. 


go  at  the  rate  of  25,  40,  or  even  60  miles  an  hour. 
This,  of  course,  I  set  down  as  another  story  told  by 
the  old  gentleman  to  excite  my  wonder.  However 
when  we  got  to  the  Depot  I  saw  a  number  of 
beautifully  fitted  carriages  with  a  steam-engine  at 
their  head.  We  took  our  seats  in  one  of  those, 
and  while  we  sat  there  the  engine  began  to  snor^ 
and  puff  and  the  car  to  move.  It  moved  slowly  at 
first  but  presently  it  sped  along  so  rapidly  that 
what  we  passed  could  not  be  distinctly  seen,  while, 
the  train  itself  vibrated  and  undulated  like  a  snake 
chased  in  the  water. 

At  9  p.m.  we  reached  Baltimore,  and  found 
the  carriage  waiting,  as  Mr.  Sanders  had  said.  We 
drove  to  the  residence  of  his  family.  Here  I  was 
introduced  as  a  stranger  from  a  strange  land,  and 
as  perhaps  the  first  Japanese  that  had  ever  been  in 
Baltimore.  They  one  and  all  received  me  kindly, 
looking  upon  me  as  a  sort  of  curiosity. 

About  a  week  after  our  arrival  in  Baltimore 
my  guardian  had  to  go  to  Washington  on  business, 
and  he  took  me  with  him.  On  the  day  after  we 
got  there  Mr.  Sanders  told  me  that  he  was  about 
to  call  on  the  "  Chief  Man  of  the  Nation."  What 
he  meant  by  th^s  I  could  by  no  means  understand. 
However  as  he  wished  me  to  go  with  him  I  dressed 
myself  in  my  best.  He  ordered  a  carriage  and 
pair,  and  in  this  we  drove  up  Pennsylvania  Avenue. 


I4O  THE   NARRATIVE 


We  came  to  an  iron  railing,  with  a  large  square 
two  storey  building  of  marble  standing  in  the  middle 
of  the  enclosure  behind  it.  Our  coachman  drove 
right  into  it  and  drew  up  at  the  steps.  Then  the 
old  gentleman  got  out  and  walked  up  to  the  door 
and  I  followed  him.  He  rang  the  bell  and  handed 
his  card  to  the  man  who  answered.  This  man 
asked  us  to  enter  and  wait  while  he  took  the  card 
upstairs.  In  a  few  minutes  he  returned  and  said 
"  Please  walk  up." 

So  we  walked  up  and  entere'd  a  large  hall, 
and  from  there  we  passed  into  a  large  room  where 
Mr.  Sanders  told  me  the  "Chief  of  the  Nation"  was. 

I  could  see  only  a  gentleman  sitting  writing 
there.  He  was  dressed  in  a  plain  black  suit, 
seemed  to  be  about  38  or  40  years  of  age  at  the 
outside,  was  pale,  lean,  and  of  medium  height,  of 
very  quiet  appearance,  and  pleasant  in  features  and 
in  manner. 

When  he  saw  us-,  he  got  up  from  his  desk,  and 
came  towards  us  a  little  as  we  walked  up  to  him. 
He  shook  hands  with  my  old  gentleman,  exchang- 
ing some  words  as  he  did  so,  and  then  Mr.  Sanders 
introduced  me  to  him  saying  that  I  was  from  Japan 
and  that  he  had  brought  me  from  California  to  the 
Eastern  States.  Then  this  gentleman  shook  hands 
with  me  saying,  "How  do  you  do?"  and  told  me 
to  take  a  seat,  pointing  to  a  chair  close  by.  But 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  14! 


out  of  reverence  to  him  I  did  not  do  so ;  I  bowed 
low  and  stepped  on  one  side. 

My  guardian  and  he  got  into  Conversation 
while  I  went  to  the  window  and  stood  gazing  out 
upon  the  scenery  of  the  Potomac. 

And  at  this  point  the  colour  of  my  thoughts 
was  of  this  cast : — '  Why  does  my  old  gentleman 
tell  me  such  stories  ?  What  does  he  mean  by  say- 
ing that  this  man  is  the  "Chief  of  the  Nation?" 
The  appearance  of  everything  here  seems  against 
the  truth  of  his  words.  Only  the  building  is  large 
and  fine,  being  of  marble,  and  there  are  also  iron 
railings.  (For  in  my  country,  then,  iron  was  very 
scarce  and  exceedingly  precious.)  But  there  is  no 
grand  gate,  no  guard  of  soldiers,  not  even  police 
on  the  outside.  And  as  to  the  rooms  of  office, 

they  are  furnished  with  silk  curtains  and  cushions 

. 
on  the  chairs,   but  beyond  that  there  is  nothing  to 

warrant  the  idea  that  they  are  those  such  a  great 
man  as  the  "  Chief  of  the  Nation  "  should  live  in. 
And  then  again  die  dress  of  the  man, — just  a  plain 
black  suit  quite  apiece  with  the  one  my  old  gentle- 
man wears.  And  yet  he  tells  me  this  is  the  Greatest 
Man  of  the  Nation !  What  can  he  mean  ? 

Why,  if  .he  really  be  such  a  great  man,  has  he 
not  retainers  and  the  gate-way  guarded  by  soldiers 
and  his  person  surrounded  by  attendants  ?  If  he 
were  the  Chief  of  the  Nation,  surely  my  old 


142  THE   NARRATIVE 


gentleman,  officer  though  he  is,  could  not  approach 
him  in  this  easy  manner  and  sit  with  him  and  talk 
with  him  as  if  he  were  his  equal.  For  in  my  coun- 
try, why,  even  the  smallest  district  official  has 
more  pomp  and  splendor  about  his  person  than  this 
man  has  !  Thus  my  thoughts  ran  on,  since  I  knew 
not  then  the  institutions  of  America  and  the  manner 
of  its  Government. 

At  last  my  old  gentleman  had  done  and 
finished  his  conversation,  and  was  ready  to  leave 
the  President.  So  we  shook  hands  and  said 
Sayonara  and  withdrew. 

When  we  were  in  the  carriage  I  again  asked 
my  guardian  who  that  personage  was  he  had  been 
talking  with.  He  again  said  that  he  was  the 
Chief  of  all  the  officials  of  the  country  and  the 
Supreme  Governor  of  the  Nation.  He  said  that 
he  was  called  the  President  and  that  he  was  of  the 
same  dignity  as  the  Emperdr  of  Japan.  Notwith- 
standing all  he  said  yet  I  could  not  believe  his 
words,  and  I  was  still  in  doubt  as  to  the  position 
of  the  personage  in  question.  For  how  could  it 
be  that  the  head  man  of  a  mighty  nation  like  the 
United  States  of  America  should  live  in  such  a 
simple  manner  without  any  pomp  or  grandeur,  nay, 
even,  without  guards  or  attendants.  For  in  my 
country  not  even  a  petty  provincial  official  was  with- 
out his  train,  and  could  not  be  approached  unless 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  143 


with  much  ceremony.  And  as  for  a  Daimio  or  an 
Emperor, — !  Yet  the  personage  we  had  just 
seen  was  the  Supreme  Governor  of  all  mighty 
America !  I  could  not  believe  it  at  all. 


144  THE   NARRATIVE 


XIII. 

January  i7th,  Mr.  Sanders  had  to  go  to  Russia 
on  some  business  connected  with  that  country. 
So  he  called  me  aside  and  told  that  he  should 
lik<*  to  Jake  me  with  him  to  Europe,  but  the 
better  course  for  my  interests  would  be  to  put 
me  to  school  while  he  was  away.  On.  his  return 
he  said  he  would  take  me  back  to  California. 
As  to  my  present  needs,  his  family  and  his  brother- 
in-law  would  see  to  them  just  as  he  would  do 
himself.  When  I  heard  this  I  felt,  very  sad  and 
sorry  at  the  thought  of  parting  from  him,  for  by 
this  time  I  looked  upon  him  even  as  upon  my  own 
father. 

A  few  days  after  he  left  I  was  placed  in  one 
of  the  Catholic  Colleges  kept  by  the  "  Brothers." 
Here  I  stayed  till  the  old  gentleman  returned  from 
Europe  in  1854.  My  studies  lay  in  learning  to 
spell,  write,  and  cipher,  and  in  reading  some  religious 
books.  My  teacher,  Brother  Waters,  was  most 
painstaking  and  attentive  while  my  fellow  students 
were  exceedingly  kind :  at  each  recess  they  would 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  145 


come  around  me  and  teach  me  the  language  as. 
well  as  help  me  with  my  lessons. 

In  six  months  the  summer  vacation  came  and 
I  was  sent  with  Mr.  Sanders'  children  to  live  at  a 
farm  owned  by  his  mother-in-law  about  7  miles 
from  the  city.  Here  there  were  about  forty  negro 
slaves,  the  most  healthy  and  cheerful  people  I  ever 
saw.  Their  ways  and  manners  were  exceedingly 
funny ;  their  dances  in  the  evening  used  to  interest 
me  especially. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  the  old  lady  ordered 
me  a  glass  of  milk  fresh  from  the  dairy,  with  sugar 
and  a  lump  of  ice  in  it.  When  the  house-keeper 
brought  it  to  me  I  asked  what  it  was,  and  she 
pointed  to  the  cattle  in  the  distance  and  said  cow's 
milk.  So  I  declined  to  take  it,  inasmuch  as  in  my 
country  we  had  been  taught  to  look  upon  all  four- 
footed  animals  as  unclean.  The  housekeeper  went 
and  told  the  old  lady  that  I  had  refused  the  milk, 
and  upon  this  the  old  lady  came  to  me  and  said 
that  the  milk  was  good  for  me  and  would  make  me 
strong  and  that  I  must  drink  it.  So  I  had  to  obey, 
as  all  were  standing  round  watching  me.  And  I 
drank  that  milk,  and  was  greatly  surprised  to  discover 
that  it  tasted  so  nice  and  soothing.  And  I  began 
to  think  that  there  were  many  more  good  things  in 
the  world  than  I  had  dreamt  of.  From  that  time 
onward  I  have  always  been  very  fond  of  milk. 


146  THE   NARRATIVE 


The  first  Sunday  after  my  arrival  we  all  had 
to  go  to  Church.  The  old  lady  ordered  a  horse 
for  me  aqd  a  negro  as  a  groom.  This  was  the 
first  time  I  ever  rode  a  horse,  and  I  enjoyed  that 
ride  very  much  and  ever  afterwards  I  rode  whilst 
I  was  on  that  plantation.  And  I  ever  afterwards 
was  fond  of  riding  and  when  I  returned  to  Japan 
my  fondness  for  this  exercise  got  me  into  strange 
and  unexpected  difficulties. 

In  above1  five  weeks  we,  returned  to  Baltimore, 
and  a  few  days  afterwards  Mr.  Sanders  came  back 
from  Europe.  He  had  been  appointed  Russian 
Naval  Paymaster  on  the  Western  Coast  of  Ame- 
rica. After  this  I  did  not  go  back  to  school 
as  Mr.  Sanders  intended  to  start  for  California. 

Nov.  ist,  1854,  As  our  departure  for  Cali- 
fornia was  near  at  hand,  Mrs.  Sanders,  who  was 
very  ardent  in  the  matter  of  religion,  was  anxious 
that  I  should  be  Christianized,  or  converted  to  the 
Christian  faith  and  baptized  before  I  left  Baltimore. 
So  I  agreed,  and  one  day  I  went  with  a  lady  who 
was  staying  in  her  house  to  the  Cathedral.  There 
we  met  Father — I  forget  his  name — who  ushered 
us  into  a  closet,  a  little  enclosed  box-like  place. 
Here  he  questioned  me  on  various  matters  and 
points.  Then  he  told  me  to  select  a  name  out  of 
thpse  he  read  from  a  book  and  repeated.  Several 
of  the  names  he  repeated  did  not  sound  nice,  and 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  147 


all  seemed  to  be  the  same.  At  length  he  came  to, 
and  read  out  the  name  of  "  Joseph."  That  sound- 
ed so  pleasant  to  my  ears  that  I  at  once  said  "  that 
name  will  do  for-  me."  After  this  the  Priest  and 
all  of  us  walked  up  to  the  front  of  the  altar  and  here 
I  was  christened-  and  baptized  with  Holy  Water 
and  received  the  above  name  of 'Joseph. 

Two  days  thereafter  we  set  out  for  San 
Francisco  via  New  York  and  Panama  and  arrived 
at  our  destination  on  the  28th  of  November  1854. 

Two  weeks  after  our  arrival  I  was  placed  in 
a  school  that  afterwards  became  united  with  San 
Francisco  College.  Here  I  continued  till  the  Nov- 
ember of  the  following  year.  Then  occurred  the 
Great  Commercial  Panic  of  1855,  in  which  the 
San  Francisco  bankers  suffered  severely.  Among 
others  the  house  of  Sanders  and  Branam  was 
obliged  to  suspend  payment,  or  in  other  words,  to 
close  up  the  shop  altogether.  This  circumstance 
caused  me  great  grief  on  account  of  my  good  old 
gentleman. 

This  meant  an  end  to  my  schooling  for  a  time. 
TKen  with  the  aid  of  another  kind  friend  I  returned 
t6  school  for  six  months  more.  But  he  also  was 
involved  in  the  panic,  and  thus  I  had  to  leave  school 
for  ever. 

Then  I  turned  my  thoughts  to  obtaining  a 
situation  in  a  commercial  house  in  San  Francisco. 


148  THE   NARRATIVE 


So  I  went  and  asked  my  old  gentleman  to  secure 
me  some  such  post  among  his  business  friends. 
To  this  request  he  willingly  assented,  and  in 
a  few  days  he  obtained  for  me  a  place  in  the 
house  of  Macondray  &  Co.,  and  I  entered  their 
service  on  April  5th,  1856.  This  house  was  a 
large  commission  firm  of  four  partners,  with  a 
manager  and  a  large  staff  of  clerks  and  porters, 
and  received  consignments  from  all  parts  of  the 
world. 

While  thus  sjtuated  learning  something  of 
business  and  perfectly  satisfied  with  my  place, 
Senator  Gwin  one  day  sent  a  friend  to  Messrs. 
Sanders  and  Gary  (my  friend  and  my  employer) 
requesting  that  I  should  be  allowed  to  accompany 
him  to  Washington.  At  first  they  declined,  but  as 
the  Senator  persisted  in  sending  his  friend  with  the 
request,  they  at  last  consulted  and  addressed  a  note 
to  Senator  Gwin  asking  him  what  object  he  had  in 
view  in  wishing  to  take  me  to  Washington  with 
him :  In  reply  he  wrote  as  follows : — 

San  Francisco,  August  3rd,  1857. 
DEAR  SIR, 

In  answer  to  your  note  of  this  date,  I  will  state  that  I  propose  to- 
take  Heco,  the  Japanese  boy,  with  me  to  Washington  to  act  in  the 
capacity  of  a  clerk,  and  also  if-  it  could  be  accomplished  to  have  him 
employed  in  the  State  Department  preparatory  to  his  being  sent  to 
his  native  country  with  such  knowledge  of  our  Government  and  such 
endorsement  as  will  be  of  service  to  him  when  he  arrives  in  japan. 

It  will  be  sometime  before  I  can  get  him  a  place  in  the  State- 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  149 


Department  and  some  difficulties  may  result  from  his  not  being  an 
American  citizen,  but  I  do  not  anticipate  that  they  will  be  of  such  » 

character  that  they  cannot  be  overcome. 

4 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  M.  GWIN. 
COL.  B.  C.  SANDERS, 

San  Francisco.. 

,  On  receiving  this  letter  they  advised  me  to  go 
with  the  Senator.  So  I  made  ready  to  do  so,  and 
leaving  San  Francisco  on  September  2oth,  1857, 
we  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  yth  of  the  follow- 
ing October,  .and  took  up  our  quarters  at  the 
Metropolitan  Hotel. 

One  morning  Mrs.  Gwin  came  into  my  room 
accompanied  by  a  gentleman  'arid  told  me  to  go 
with  him  and  get  a  new  suit  of  clothes.  I  told  her 
that  I  had  plenty  of  clothes  to  last  me  for  some 
time,  and  that  I  did  not  want  any  new  clothes. 
She  replied  that  the  clothes  I  had  were  n6t  suited 
to  Washington  Society,  and  that  I  must  go  and 
order  a  suit  in  the  present  fashion.  Then  she 
turned  to  the-  gentleman  and  said  "  Now  Mr.  C. 
you  will  please  take  him  to  the  best  tailor  and 
shoemaker  and  order  for  him  a  .new  suit,  shirts  and 
a  pair  of  boots,  won't  you?" 

Then  Mr.  C.  asked  me  to  .accompany  him,  and 
1  went  thinking  that  since  Mrs.  Gwin  wished  me  to 
have  a  new  suit,  it  was  to  be  a  present  from  the 


150  THE   NARRATIVE 


Senator.  So  we  went  to  Broadway  where  a  suit 
was  ordered  and  a  pair  of  boots  bought.  The 
clothes  came  in  due  course  before  we  left  for 
Washington.  They  fitted  me  to  a  nicety  and  I 
thanked  Mrs.  Gwin  and  the  Senator  for  them. 

About  a  week  after  our  arrival  in  the  national 
capital  the  Senator  published  in  the  local  news- 
papers a  letter  from  Mr.  Sanders  to  the  Senator 
written  before  we  had  left  California.  This  letter 
gave  an  account  'of  myself  and  of  the  maftner  of  my 
coming  to  America  and  of  what  I  had  been  doing 
since  my  coming.  The  object  of  the  Senator  in 
publishing  this  letter  was  to  excite  curiosity  about 
me  before  he  presented  me  to  the  newly  installed 
President  of  the  U.  S.  No  sooner  had  this  letter 
appeared  in  print  than  the  residents  of  the  place 
became  very  friendly  and  invited  me  to  dinner  and 
evening  parties  and  so  forth.  Before  ifs  publica- 
tion, no  notice  had  been  taken  of  me  whatsoever, 
as  was  of  course  perfectly  natural. 

November  2$th.  In  the  morning  the  Senator 
took  me  in  his  carriage  to  the  State  Departmqnt 
and  introduced  me  to  the  Secretary  of  State  (Gen. 
Cass)  and  to  the  Acting  Under-secretar>  and  chief 
clerk,  Mr.  Wm.  Hunter.  From  there  he  took  me 
to  the  White  House  and  introduced  me  to  Pre- 
sident Buchanan.  The  President  shook  hands 
with  me  very  cordially  as  did  all  the  officials  to- 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


whom  I  had  been  introduced  at  the  State  Depart- 
ment. 

The  Senator  stated  the  object  of  our  visit. 
This  was  to  have  me  placed  in  the  State  Depart- 
ment preparatory  to  my  return  to  Japan,  as  he  be- 
lieved that  that  country  was  shortly  to  be  opened 
for  commerce.  He  said  if  I  was  so  placed  I  would 
naturally  acquire  a  knowledge  of  American  Institu- 
tions which  might  be  of  some  service  to  both 
countries. 

The  President  made  answer  that  he  would  be 
most  happy  to  aid  me  and  place  me  in  the  State 
Department,  but  he  was  afraid  there  was  no 
vacancy  open,  for  since  he  had  taken  his  seat,  so 
many  months  had  elapsed  that  all  posts  were  filled, 
down  even  to  die  copyist. 

"However"  he  said,  "you  may  inquire  at 
the  State  Department  and  if  there  is  any  opening 
I  shall  be  most  happy  to  appoint  your  young 
friend." 

The-  Senator  replied  that  he  had  already- 
been  to  the  Department,  and  finding  that  there 
was  no  vacancy  there  he  had  come  to  ask  the 
President  to  do  4iim  the  favour  of  creating  some 
special  post  for  me.  To  this  the  President  answer- 
ed that  there  was  no  appropriation  for  any  new 
post,  but  that  the  Senator  might  see  to  such  ap- 
propriation when  the  Session  of  Congress  began. 


152  THE   NARRATIVE 


The  President  was  a  large-built  old  man  of  70. 
One  of  his  eyes  was  affected.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  black  suit,  and  held  his  head  on  one  side. 

In  December  Congress  met,  but  as  far  as  my 
affeir  was  concerned  nothing  was  done,  and  the 
matter  seemed  to  be  at  an  end. 

I  stayed  .with  the  Senator  till  February,  1858. 
During  this  time  1  made  several  friends  and 
acquaintances  among  the  former  a  Lieutenant 
John  M.  Brooke.  He  was  then  in  Washington 
trying  to  get  up  a  surveying  expedition  to  the 
coasts  of  China  and  Japan,  and  to  determine"  the 
position  of  some  reported  dangerous  rocks  and 
shoals  in  the  Pacific.  He  made  me  a  promise  that 
if  he  succeeded  in  his  object,,  he  would  give  me  a 
position  in  the  expedition  that  would  enable  me  to 
return  to  my  native  country. 

But  his  project  made  but  slow  progress  and  I 
had  little  to  do  or  to  learn  with  the  Senator,  as  my 
duties  lay  in  assorting  and  filing  his  numerqus 
letters,  and  writing  replies  to  his  dictation.  So 
one  day  I  -asked  the  Senator  to  let  me  go,  if  he 
really  could  not  place  me  in  the  State  Department, 
or  get  me  some  post  under  the  Government.  He 
said  .that  if  I  wished  to  return  to  California  he 
\vould  give  me  a  passage  back.  I  told  him  I  did 
not  care  to  go  back  to  California  yet,  (on  account 
of  Lieutenant  Brooke's  expedition)  but  would  like 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  153 


to  go  to  Baltimore  where  I  had  some  friends  and 
might  get  into  some  business  house.  The  Senator 
then  said  that  if  I  wished  to  leave  him  I  might  do 
so,  and  he  would  give  me  a  letter  to  the  Collector 
of  the  Port  of  Baltimore  who  might  give  me  a  tem- 
porary position.  So  saying  he  wrote  the  following- 
letter  and  handed  it  to  me : — 

Senate  Chamber,  February  15th,  1858. 
MY  DEAB  SfR, 

Joseph  Heco,  the  bearer  of  this  is  a  native  of  Japan,  whom  having 
become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  I  brought  with  me  from  Califor- 
nia to  have  employed  in  the  State  Department.  Up  to  this  time 
I  have  been  unable  to  get  him  there  employed  for  the  want  of  % 
vacancy,  but  I  am  still  in  hopes  of  "succeeding  as  the  session  progresses. 
In  the  meantime  I  have  advised  him  to  go  to  Baltimore  where  he  has 
friends  and  get  employment  in  the  Custom  House  or  a  commercial 
house  if  he  can.  He  is  a  plover  young  man  of  good  habits,  indusf  rious 
and  honest,  and  I  shall  be  much  gratified  if  you  could  give  him  even 
temporary  employment  in  your  office. 

Very  truly  yours, 

WM.  M.  GWIN. 
Hos.  J.  T.  MAJOR, 

Collector,  Baltimore. 

After  the  Senator  had  granted  my  leave  and 
provided  me  with  the  above  letter  I  expected  that 
he  would  give  me  my  passage  money  to  California 
since  he  knew  my  salary  balance  would  be  very 
small.  So  I  asked  him  for  my  accourit,  whereupon 
he  handed  me  the  following  acc6unts  and  no  allow- 
ance for  passage  money.  For  I  afterwards  was  told 
that  if  I  went  back  to  California  my  passage  would 


154  THE   NARRATIVE 


cost  him  nothing-.     The   Senator's  accounts   with 
me  stood  thus  :  — 

To  salary  Sept.  5tli,  1857  to  Feb.  1858  at  $30  per  month    »150 
Less  Cash  paid  from  time  to  time    .  .  .............        55 


Against  this  he  handed  me  a  bill  for  new 
clothes  bought  at  New  York  at  the  wish  of  his  wife 
amounting  to  $75.  Thus  he  give  me  as  my  balance 
in  cash,  $20. 

The  Senator  was  well-known  to  be  wealthy, 
with  extensive  plantations  and  several  hundreds  of 
slaves  in  the  South.  He  and  his  wife  posed  as 
leaders  of  fashionable  society  in  the  capital,  giving 
numerous  balls  and  dinner  parties  and  so  forth. 
And  yet  his  treatment  of  myself,  a  poor  stranger, 
was  not  munificent.  He  took  me  away  from  a  firm 
where  I  was  well  situated,  learning  business  and 
perfectly  satisfied  with  my  position,  and  after  taking 
me  to  a  strange  and  distant  place  he  turns  me 
adrift  with  a  precious  twenty  dollars  ! 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  .          155 


XIV. 

I  called  on  die  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Balti- 
more and  presented  the  Senator's  letter.  The 
Collector  read  it  and  said  that  he  was  sorry  that 
there  was  no  vacancy  in  his  department  and  that 
therefore  he  could  not  comply  with  Senator  Gwin's 
wishes.  And  he  handed  me  back  the  letter,  say- 
ing, "  You  had  better  keep  this  and  show  it  to 
others  for  reference."  I  thanked  him  and  said  sayo- 
nara  and  came  away.  So  much  for  the  worth  of 
the  Senator's  letter  !  ! 

Meanwhile  I  had  gone  to  Mr.  Sanders'  house 
in  Baltimore.  In  the  early  part  of  May,  Mr.  San- 
ders came  home  after  his  affairs  in  California  had 
been  adjusted.  He  Avas  very  glad  to  find  me  at 
his  house.  I  told  him  what  had  befallen  me  with 
the  Senator,  when  he  said  ; — 

"Oh,  he  is  only  a  politician,  and  politicians 
are  all  alike, — all  promises  and  no  fulfilment.  But 
I  am  more  than  glad  to  have  you  in  my  own  house ; 
you  must  always  look  upon  that  as  your  home." 

This  reply  soothed  me  and  made  me  very 
happy  and  I  felt  wonderfully  thankful  to  him. 


156  THE   NARRATIVE 


And  now  shortly  after  this  time  I  began  to  be 
greatly  troubled.  For  I  was  nearly  out  of  pocket 
money,  having  only  two  dollars  in  all  remaining  to 
my  name.  And  yet  knowing  that  my  good  old 
friend  had  come  home  an  unfortunate  and  ruined 
merchant,  I  durst  not  ask  any  further  aid  from  him. 
Besides,  I  must  keep  up  my  decency  in  dressing. 
Of  course  board  was  free,  yet  washing  had  to  be 
paid  for,  and  other  expenses  had  to  be  met,  and  to 
do  all  this  I  had  but  two  dollars.  What  should  I 
do  ?  I  had  tried  everywhere  to  get  a  situation  even 
through  friends  in  New  York,  but  I  could  not  get 
anything  owing  to  the  panic  of  the  previous  year. 
Thus  I  pondered  over  my  position  for  several  days, 
but  no  light  come  to  aid  me. 

I  was  in  this  anxious  state  of  mind,  when 
one  morning  a  letter  came  to  me  from  a  stranger 
whom  I  had  never  seen,  though  the  name  was  a 
familiar  one, — Mr.  T.  C.  Gary,  Senior,  of  Boston, 
the  father  of  my  former  employer  and  partner  in 
Macondray  &  Co.  This  letter  was  a  god-send  to 
me. 

It  intimated  that  the  writer  had  received  a 
letter  from  his  son  in  China  asking  him  to  see  how 
I  was  situated  and  telling  him  if  I  was  in  need  of 
funds  to  furnish  me  with  them  on  his  (the  son's) 
account.  He  also  wrote  that  he  had  received  a 
package  of  Japanese  books  for  me  and  asked  what 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  157 


he  was  to  do  with  them.  And  besides  he  said  very 
many  kind  things  in  his  letter. 

When  I  read  this  letter  I  was  overwhelmned 
and  fpr  some  minutes  I  was  dumbfoundered.  I 
thanked  God  for  giving  me  such  a  good  friend  in 
my  time  of  need.  It  is  impossible  to  describe"  my 
feelings  at  that  time  and  my  gratitude  to  my  first 
employer  for  thinking  of  me  at  such  a  distance. 

I  answered  the  letter  at  once,  thanking  both 
the  old  gentleman  and  his  son  for  thinking  of,  and 
writing  to  me,  I  requested  the  old  gentleman  to 
send  the  books  to  my  address  ;  as  for  the  money 
matter  I  would  avail  myself  of  his  kind  offer  at  some 
future  date. 

Mr.  Gary  sent  the  books  in  a  few  days  time 
accompanied  by  another  kind  letter. 

June  ist.  I  received  a  most  welcome  letter 
from  Lt.  J.  M.  Brooke,  U.  S.  N.  intimating  to  me 
that  he  had  succeeded  in  his  project  of  organising  an 
expedition  to  survey  the  coast  of  China  and  Japan, 
and  that  he  would  shortly  be  in  a  position  to  ap- 
point me  clerk  to  the  said  expedition,  %and  thus 
take  me  home  to  my  native  country. 

This  was  another  piece  of  good  news  for  me. 
Being  thqs  assured  by  Li.  Brooke  of  my  appoint- 
ment, I  deemed  it  necessary  to  have  some  money 
in  order  to  obtain  an  outfit,  and  to  get  ready  for  my 
departure.  I  therefore  wrote  to  Mr,  Gary,  Sr., 


158  THE   NARRATIVE 


stating  the  circumstances  and  asking  him  for  a  loan. 
The  old  gentleman  at  once  forwarded  a  Bank  draft, 
and  at  the  same  time  wrote  an  extremely  kind  note 
stating  that  if  I  wanted  a  further  sum  or  sums  I  had 
only  to  write  to  him,  when  he  would  comply  with 
my  wishes  with  pleasure.. 

Jime  7th.  As  the  day  fdr  my  departure  to  my 
native  country  drew  near  at  hand,  Mr.  Sanders 
thought  it  best  that  I  should  be  naturalized  before 
I  left  Baltimore.  So  he  took  me  to  the  U.  S.  Court 
where  I  applied  for  and  obtained  a  certificate  of 
naturalization  signed  by  the  U.  S.  District  Judge  Gill 
and  Mr.  Spicer,  Clerk  of  Court.  And  thus  I  be- 
came a  citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

June  i6th.  On  this  day  I  received  the  follow- 
ing from  Lt.  J.  M.  Brooke : — 

SIB, 

By  the  authority  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  I  hereby  appoint 
you  Captain's  clerk.  You  will  proceed  to  San  Francisco  vi&  New  York 
in  the  steamer  of  the  5th  July  aud  report  to  me  ou  your  arrival  in  that 
port.  Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)        LIEUT.  COMDG.  J.  M.  BROOKE, 

United  States  Navy. 
To  JOSEPH  HECO,  ESB.'; 

Baltimore,  Md. 

With  the  above  there  was  a  private  letter  stat- 
ing that  he  and  his  officers  and  men  were  to  proceed 
to  San  Francisco- in  the  steamer  of  the  2Oth  of  June ; 
and  that  he  would  leave  instructions  with  his  brother, 


OF  A   JAPANESE.  159 


an  officer  in  the  Custom  House  at  New  York,  to 
assist  me  in  arranging  for  my  passage  and  so  forth 
when  I  arrived  there.  On  the  receipt  of  these 
letters,  I  now  felt  very  happy  to  think  that  my  long 
anticipated  hopes  of  regaining  my  native  land  once 
more  were  about  to  be  fulfilled. 

-June  22nd.  Now  that  preparations  for  depar- 
ture were  all  but  completed,  I  thought  it  right  to 
pay  some  farewell  visits  to  friends.  So  I  went  to 
see  Mr.  Van  Reed  in  Reading,  Pa.  After  spending 
three  days  with  him  I  set  out  for  Perrymensville 
via  Philadelphia  in  order  to  say  good-bye  to  my  old 
friend  Captain  Webster  of  the  revenue  cutter  Polk. 
I  met  with  a  very  warm  reception  in  his  house,  and 
stayed  with  him  for  three  days.  On  the  28th  1  left 
with  his  best  wishes,  and  returned  to  Baltimore 
accompanied  by  one  of  the  Captain's  guests,  a  lady 
who  had  been  spending  summer  with  his  family. 

June  2Qth.  Captain  Webster  had  requested 
me  to  call  on  one  of  his  daughters  staying  in  Balti- 
more with  a  cousin  and  deliver  some  message. 
So  I  called  in  the  afternoon  and  was  invited  to  stay 
to  supper  and  then  go  to  Church. 

After  tea  two  ladies  and  myself  set  out  for  the 
Methodist  Church.  When  we  entered,  the  building 
was  comparatively  empty,  but  presently  it  quickly 
filled  up.  Into  a  pew  in  front  of  us  came  two 
young  girls  of  about  1 8  or  20  accompanied  by  a 


I6O  THE   NARRATIVE. 


young  man  of  a  similar  age.  They  sat  quietly  for 
a  time,  until  the  Minister  at  last  said  "Let  us  pray." 
At  that  all  rose  from  their  seats  and  got  down  upon 
their  knees.  Then  I  noticed  one  of  the  girls  take 
a  pin  from  the  bosom  of  her  dress,  and  bend  it  so 
•that,  it  would  stand  point-up  when  placed  upon  the 
seat.  She*quietly  fixed  it  on  the  young  man's  seat 
without  his  knowing.  At  last,  after  a  long  time 
the  minister's  prayer  was  over,  and  all  got  up  and 
reseated  themselves.  The  young  man  did  like- 
wise, or  tried  to  do  likewise,  when  the  aforesaid  pin 
got  stuck  in  him  behind.  He  jumped  up  and  utter- 
ed a  great  cry.  The  girls  burst  put  laughing  as  at 
a! great  joke,  and  this  made  the  young  man  still 
more  angry.  He  rose  and  tried  to  get  out  of  that 
Church,  b'pt  the  girls  kept  him  there  till  the  service 
was  over.  It  seemed  to  me  that  it  was  a  little  too 
much  of  a  joke  to  do  tricks  of  that  sort  in  a  place 
of  Christian  Worship. 

July  jrd.  For  the  past  week  I  had  been 
invited  to  dinners,  breakfasts  and  tea-parties  by 
the  good  friends  I  had  made  in  Baltimore. 
Some  of  the  invitations  I  accepted ;  others  I  had 
to  decline  for  want  of  time.  But  I  had  called 
On  each  and  all  of  them  to  bid  them  good-bye  and 
on  this  evening  I  was  ready  to  leave  for  New  York 
in  order  to  take  the  steamer  of  the  5th  July  for 
California. 


OF   A    JAPANESE.  l6l 


Whilst  we  were  smoking  after  dinner  Mr, 
Sanders  and  I  had  some  talk  about  my  future.  He 
gave  nte  good  advice,  such  as  a  father  might  give 
to  his  own  son  when  on  the  point  of  making 
a  long  journey  into  a  far  country.  He  said  that  he 
-extremely  regretted  his  inability  to  give  me  the 
education  he  had  intended  to  give  me  when  I  came 
to  him.  Had  he  known  beforehand  of  the  coming* 
of  the  misfortune  that  befell  him  in  1855  he  would 
have  allowed  me  to  go  to  West  Point,  for  on  the 
occasion  of  our  visit  to  President  Pierce,  the  Pre- 
sident had  offered  to  place  me  in  the 'government 
school  there.  This  Mr.  Sanders  had  declined  on 
my  behalf,  thinking  that  he  would  be  able  to  give 
me  a  more  useful  education  in  private  schools.  Of 
this,  of  course,  he  had  not  told  me  at  the  time. 
"  But  now  that  you  are  going  away  from  our  midst," 
he  said,  "  I  must  tell  you." 

After  this  he  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  writ- 
ten a  letter  which  he  would  hand  to  me  and  which 
I  might  read  after  I  had  got  upon  the  cars ;  from  it 
I  would  learn  how  he  felt  towards  me,  and  what 
interest  he  took  in  my  welfare. 

4.30  p.m.  came  and  it  was  time  for  me  to 
start  for  the  station.  My  baggage  was  put  into 
the  carriage  at  the  door  and  then  I  went  and  bade 
farewell  to  all  in  the  house,  and  at  the  same  time 
thanked  one  and  all  for  the  kindness  I  had  received 


1 62  THE   NARRATIVE 


at  their  hands  during  my  long  sojourn  in  Baltimore. 
They  all  expressed  kind  wishes  for  my  welfare  and 
wished  me  a  "pleasant  voyage  home." 

Mr.  Sanders  entered  the  carriage  and  drove 
off  with  me  to  the  station"  of  the  New  York  line. 
On  the  way  the  old  gentleman  handed  me  the  letter 
he  had  before  alluded  to. 

At  5  .p.m.  precisely  the  train  was  starting.  So 
the  old  gentleman  bade  me  good-bye,  and  "God 
bless  you"  with  a  hearty  hand-grip,  while  I  thank- 
ed him  for  all  his  kindness  and  wished  him  a  long 
and  prosperous  life. 

Whert  he  left  the  car  and  stood  on  the  plat- 
form looking  at  my  window  I  felt  as  I  were  part- 
ing from  my  own  good  father  and  I  felt  very  sad. 
As  the  train  slowly  moved  out  of  the  station  I  saw 
him  standing  there  waving  his  hand,  and  soon  he 
and  the  good  old  city  of  Baltimore  alike  had  faded 
from  my  view. 

Then  I  took  out  the  letter  Mr.  Sanders  had 
handed  me.  I  opened  it  and  read  as  follows : — 

Baltimore,  July  2nd,  1858. 
HEAR  JOSEPH, 

Five  years  and  half  ago,  I  first  saw  you,  when  you  were  presented 
to  me  by  Captain  Pease,  of  the  U.  S.  revenue  cutter  in  San  Francisco, 
and  whilst  I  was  the  Collector  of  that  Port.  From  that  day  to  the 
present,  I  have  never  ceased  to  cherish  for  you  a  kind  and  parental 
feeling.  Your  education  is  not  so  complete  as  I  intended  to  have  made 
it ;  but  you  know  the  circumstances  which  surrounded  me,  after  my 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  163 


return  from  Europe  in  1854,  and  I  took  you  from  school  in  Baltimore 
to  return  to  our  distant  home  in  San  Francisco.  You  know  how  after 
entering  you  at  school  there,  the  time  came  when  I  was  from  neces- 
sity compelled  to  discontinue  your  education,  because  of  commercial 
disaster.  AJ1  these  thiugs  you  know ;  but  you  never  can  know  how 
much  I  was  grieved  when  I  found  that  I  could  not  afford  you  that  pro- 
tection and  give  you  such  an  education  as  was  my  wish  and  intention. 

However,  you  have  sufficient  education  and  knowledge,  for  all 
practical  purposes,  and  with  your  native  cleverness  and  tact  you  are 
fitted  for  almost  any  mercantile  position,  with  the  practical  knowledge 
which  is  always  obtained  in  the  exercises  of  the  duties  imposed  upon 
the  young  beginners. 

Your  shqrt  but  agreeable  experience  in  the  highly  respectable 
house  of  Macondray  &  Co.,  San  Francisco,  will  readily  convince  you 
•of  the  truth  of  my  remarks. 

When  Senator  Gwin  persuaded  me  to  permit  you  to  leave  so  good 
A  place  as  the  one  alluded  to,  I  was  flattered  with  the  hope,  that 
through  the  influence  of  that  gentleman  you  would  have  obtained  a 
very  respectable  position  in  the  State  Department  in  Washington. 
He  (Senator  Gwin)  failed  however,  to.  accomplish  this  desirable  end, 
And  when  I  arrived  from  San  Francisco,  I  found  you  at  my  house, 
which  you  know  is  always,  and  under  all  circumstances,  your  home. 
I  regretted  Senator  Gwin's  failure  to  comply  with  his  promises,  but  was 
much  pleased  to  find  you  happily  situated  in  my  family. 

Lieutenant  Brooke's  appointment  of  you  as  Clerk  to  the  U.  8. 
surveying  expedition  is  to  me  very  gratifying,  as  it  gives  you  employ- 
ment and  enables  you  to  see  again  your  native  land.  Congress  has 
ratified  the  treaty  with  Japan,  and  the  consequence  will  be  the  open- 
ing of  Diplomatic  relations  with  that  country.  I  will  keep  a  look  out  for 
your  interest  and  should  it  be  expedient  to  employ  you  in  any  honor- 
Able  position  in  the  Embassy,  I  will  see  to  it  that  you  shall  get  the 
-appointment. 

In  taking  leave  of  you,  my  dear  boy,  it  affords  me  unfeigned 
pleasure  to  say  that  for  the  five  or  six  years  that  I  have  known  you, 
in  the  intimate  relations  which  have  existed  between  us,  I  have  always 
and  under  all  circumstances  found  you.  truthful,  honorable,  Idyal  and 
polite,  courteous  and  appreciative,  and  entirely  entitled  to  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  your  friends  and  of  all  men.  I  regret  to  part 


164  THE   NARRATIVE 


from  you,  but  am  cheered  with  the  hope  and  expectation  that  th& 
future  will  be  such  as  to  make'any  sacrifice  justifiable. 

With  good  wishes  for  your  prospect  and  future  happiness. 

I  am  your  sincere  friend, 

BEVERLY  C.  SANDERS. 

When  I  read  this  letter,  I  almost  cried  to 
think  of  how  kindly  and  how  much  he  had  thought 
of  me,  and  of  how  unfortunate  he  had  been  in  his 
business  in  California.  Had  he  not  met  with 
that  misfortune  I  shoulcjl  have  been  properly  and 
fully  educated,  and  no  doubt  fitted  for  almost  any 
honourable  position  in  life !  With  these  and  other 
thoughts  I  lit  a  cigar  and  gazed  on  tjle  passing 
scene,  and  in  about  half-an-hour  I  fell  askep  on  the 
seat,  worn  out  with  the  fatigue  and  excitement  o/ 
the  last  few  days. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  165 


XV. 

I  arrived  at  New  York  at  3  o'clock  next 
morning.  I  drove  up  to  the  Metropolitan  Hotel, 
registered  myself  and  got  my  room.  Then  after 
breakfast  I  called  on  Captain  Brooke's  brother  at 
the  Custom-House.  When  I  got  there  Mr.  St. 
John  Brooke  received  me  very  kindly  and  told  me 
of  the  instructions  his  brother  had  left  with  him  re- 
garding me.  He  told  me  that  the  Government 
allowed  only  $300  for  passage-money  and  ex- 
penses, and  that  the  fares  were  ist  class  $300,  2nd 
class  $200,  3rd  class  $150.  I  decided  to  go  2nd 
class,  which  would  leave  me  $100  for  incidental  ex- 
penses. Upon  this  Mr.  Brooke  saitf  he  would  go 
with  me  to  the  office  and  see  whether  he  could  get 
the  company  to  grant  me  a  ist  class  ticket  for  2nd 
class  fare  by  explaining  to  them  my  peculiar 
situation ;  being  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land  trying 
to  get  back  to  his  native  country.  At  this  point  I 
recollected  that  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Mr.  Sanders  to  the  President  of  the  company  and 
when  I  mentioned  that  fact  to  Mr.  Brooke  he  said 


1 66  THE   NARRATIVE 


"That  is  capital"  We  made  an  appointment  and 
in  the  afternoon  we  went  to  the  P.  M.  S.  S.  Co.'s 
office  and  asked  for  the  President  and  sent  in  our 
cards.  In  a  moment  we  were  admitted  to  his 
private  office  and  I  at  once  handed  him  Mr.  San- 
ders' letter.  The  President  read  it  and  then  spoke 
to  the  following  effect : — 

"Oh!  So  you  are  going  out  to  California! 
The  passage- rates  are  ist  class  $300,  2nd  class 
$200,  3rd  class  $150." 

Then  Mr.  Brooke  began  to  explain  how  I  was 
situated,  and  asked  if  it  was  possible  for  the  Pre- 
sident to  give  me  a  little  help  in  the  way  of  grant- 
ing me  a  first-class  passage  for  2nd  class  rates. 

The  President  replied  "No  Sir,  I. am  sorry, 
but  it  is  the  regulation  and  I  cannot  favour  anyone." 
At  this  I  turned  to  Mr.  Brooke  and  said  I  would  go 
2nd  class.  We  then  bade  the  President  good-after- 
noon and  left  the  office.  , 

On  our  way  to  my  hotel,  we  discussed  the 
President's  cool  and  disagreeable  reply,  for  we  knew 
perfectly  well  that  When  it  suited  him  he  did  favour 
other  people. 

July  ^th.  I  went  to1  the  Catholic  Church  and 
heard  a  fine  sermon.  On  my  .way  to  my  hotel,  I 
met  my  friend  St.  John.  He  had  come  to  find  me 
to  take  me  to  his  mother's  residence  on  5th 
Avenue,  to  dine  there. 


OF    A  JAPANESE.  1 67 


When  we  arrived  I  was  welcomed  by  the 
whole  family,  viz.  his  step-father,  step-sister  and 
mother.  They  were  very  «kind  and  attentive  to 
me  and  treated  me  with  great  deference  as  a 
stranger  from  the  far-off  and  unknown  country  of 
Japan.  At  precisely  3  p.m.  dinner  was  announced, 
and  I  was  led  into  the  beautiful  dining-room  where 
a  nice  dinner  was  served  which  I  enjoyed  very 
much. 

The  5th  Avenue  is  almost  entirely  occupied 
with  the  private  residences  of  the  wealthy  inhabi- 
tants of  the  city.  Each  residence  has  a  nice  flower- 
garden  attached,  separated  from  the  street  by  iron 
railings.  The  houses  are  large  squarely-built 
buildings  of  brick  or  stone  and  of  from  two  to  four 
storeys  high. 

The  streets  are  broad  and  well-laid  out,  with 
side  walks  nicely  paved  and  with  rows  of  shade- 
trees  to  protect  the  pedestrian  from  the  summer 
heat.  Altogether  it  is  considered  the  most  fashion- 
able quarter  of  the  city. 

July  $th  had  been  advertised  as  the  day,of 
the  steamer's  sailing,  but  as  the  Fourth  of  July  had 
fallen  on  a  Sunday,  the  5th  was  celebrated  as  Inde- 
pendence Day  and  the  departure  of  the  boat  was 
postponed  till  the  6th.  After  Mr.  Brooke  and  I 
had  lunched  at  the  hotel  we  went  out  to  see 
the  military  parade.  In  the  evening  I  went  with 


1 68  THE   NARRATIVE 


St.  John  to  Laura  Kean's  theatre  where  I  saw 
a  comedy  for  the  first  time.  It  was  called  the 
School  for  Svandal,  and  it  kept  me  laughing  all  the 
evening. 

July  6th.  My  friends  Mr.  Brooke  and 
St.  John  escorted  me  to  the  wharf  where  the 
Moses  Taylor  lay.  After  putting  away  my  bag- 
gage in  a  safe  place  my  friends  and  I  were  walking 
the  deck  and  talking,  when  up  comes  the  Hon.  H. 
May  of  Baltimore,  a  member  of  Congress  for  the 
State  of  Maryland,  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced 
by  Mr.  Sanders.  He  was  going  to  California  to 
conduct  a  law  case,  for  he  was  a  lawyer  as  well  as 
a  Congressman.  He  recognized  >me  and  shook 
hands  with  me  and  I  then  and  there  introduced  him 
to  my  friends. 

The  bell  at  last  rang  and  my  friends  went 
ashore  and  Mr.  May -and  myself  went  on  talking 
as  we  walked  to  and  fro  on  the  deck.  As  we  were 
doing  so  the  Captain  came  on  board.  He  called 
out  "  Ah !  Heco,  is  that  you  ?  "  and  at  once  shook 
hands,  saying  how  glad  he  was  to  meet  me  and 
asking  why  I  had  not  let  him  know  I  was  in  the 
Eastern  States. 

"  However  "  he  said  "  we'll  talk  afterwards. 
I  must  now  get  the  steamer  under  weigh." 

This  Captain  was  Capt.  McGowan,  the  officer 
who  had  succeeded  Captain  Hunter  in  command 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  .169 


of  the  Polk.  He  was  now  skipper  of  the  Moses 
Taylor,  with  a  farm  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

After  the  vessel  had  been  got  under  weigh, 
the  Captain  called  to  me.  I  went  to  him  and  he 
introduced  me  to  his  son.  The  young  man  was 
about  my  own  age,  just  out  of  college,  and  on  his 
first  sea-going  trip.  When  the  vessel  had  cleared 
the  harbour,  the  Captain  requested  the  Purser  to 
provide  me  with  a  cabin  in  the  first  saloon  along 
with  his  son.  Then  I  went  on  to  tell  the  Captain 
where  I  had  been  and  what  I  had  been  doing 
since  I  left  California. 

At  5  o'clock  the  Captain  sent  for  me  to  come 
to  dinner.  I  informed  him  that  my  ticket  was  only 
a  2nd  class  one,  and  told  him  aH  the  circumstances 
of  my  taking  it. 

"  Never  mind  that !  "  he  replied.  "  I  knew 
you  were  booked  in  the  2nd  class  when  the  Purser 
took  up  the  tickets ;  but  you  are  my  friend  and  .my 
guest."  So  saying  he  placed  me  on  his  left  oppo- 
site to  Mr.  and  Mrs. ,  who  were  on  his 

right.  This  was  a  stroke  of  great  good  luck  for 
me.  Notwithstanding  the  refusal  of  the  President 
of  the  Company  to  accommodate  me  I  had  got 
all  I  wanted,  besides  being  placed  in  the  most 
honourable  place  on  board.  Thev  Captain's  table 
is  supposed  to  be  the  most  honoured  place  on 
board  these  passenger  steamers,  for  the  food  is 


THE   NARRATIVE 


best  and  the  servants  are  more  attentive  than  at 
any  other.     And  next  is  the  Purser's,  it  is  so  said. 

Therefore  I  felt  quite  thankful  to  Almighty  God 
by  whose  aid  I  had  thus  met  with  my  good  friend, 
and  through  whom  what  the  President  of  the  Com- 
pany had  refused  was  granted  me  at  other  hands 
without  my  asking.  This  was  to  show  to  the  world 
that  Providence  always  looks  after  those  who  are 
right  in  mind  and  purpose.  * 

When  we  arrived  at  Aspinwall  all  the  passen- 
gers went  ashore  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  May 
and  myself,  whom  the  Captain  invited  to  stay  for 
breakfast.  Then  Captain  McGowan  said  he  would- 
go  with  us  to  Panama  in  order  to  arrange  for  my 
passage  with  Captain  Bobie  on  the  boat  to  San 
Francisco.  So  we  all  started  across  the  Isthmus 
by  railway. 

When  we  arrived  at  Panama  the  S.S.  Sonora 
was  at  anchor  in  the  bay  awaiting  us.  We  at  once 
went  on  board  of  her  by  the  tug  Guatemala.  Then 
Captain  McGowan  introduced  me  with  kind  words 
to  Captain  Bobie  of  the  Sonora,  lequesting  him  to 
take  good  care  of  me.  The  Captain  of  the  Sonm-a 
replied  that  he  wcruld  do  so  with  pleasure.  He  at 
once  took  charge  of  nie,  and  treated  me  as  kindly 
as  if  he  had  known  nle  all  my  life.  It  is  impossible 
for  me  to  express  how  much  I  am  indebted  to  the 
kindness  of  these  gentlemen. 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  1 71 


After  I  had  been  introduced  to  Capt.  Bobie, 
Capt.  McGowan  bade  me  good-bye  and  left  for  his 
vessel  on  the  other  side.  Soon  after  he  went  off 
Captain  Bobie  introduced  me  to  the  Purser,  and  he 
at  once  assigned  Mr.  May  and  myself  a  highly  com- 
'fortable  cabin.  At  dinner  I  was  placed  at  the  Pur- 
ser's table  on  his  right  hand.  Thus  again  I  was 
well  cared  for  by  my  new  friends. 


172  THE   NARRATIVE 


XVI. 

We  arrived  at  San  Francisco  on  the  2gth  July. 
I  at  once  reported  myself  officially  to  Capt.  Brooke 
at  Mare  Island,  where  he  was  engaged  in  fitting 
out  his  vessel.  He  told  me  to  stay  where  I  was 
until  his  vessel  was  ready,  when  he  would  come 
down  to  San  Francisco  and  take  me  on  board. 

One  morning  the  Carribbean,  a  British  ship, 
came  into  port  with  about  a  dozen  Japanese  she 
had  picked  up  in  a  helpless  condition.  Tora  and 
Van  Reed  went  off  and  saw  them,  and  afterwards 
they  came  and  asked  me  to  accompany  them  in 
order  to  find  out  the  details  of  their  being  cast 
away,  where  they  were  from,  and  so  forth.  So  I 
went  and  saw  them,  and  afterwards  we  endeavoured 
to  procure  their  return  to  Japan  through  the  aid  of 
the  U.  S.  Government,  but  without  success.  Ulti- 
mately they  were  taken  by  the  Carribbean  to 
Hongkong,  and  from  there  they  got  back  to  their 
country  through  English  aid. 

September  2oth.  Received  notice  from  the 
Commander  of  the  surveying  schooner  Fennimore 
Cooper  that  she  would  be  down  from  Mare  Island 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  173 


Navy-yard  in  a  day  or  two,  and  that  I  must  hold 
myself  in  readiness  to  join  her.  On  the  22nd  she 
arrived  and  I  went  on  board  and  took  up  my  quarters. 

The  Fennimore  Cooper  had  been  a  New  York 
pilot-boat  which  the  Government  had  bought  some 
years  before  and  fitted  out  for  an  expedition  to  the 
East  under  Commodore  Ringold,  on  which  occasion 
she  had  gone  as  a  "  tender  "  to  the  Commodore. 
When  she  returned  she  had  beeij  laid  up  at  Mare 
Island  Navy-yard.  She  was  a  two-masted  schooner 
of  96  tons  burthen,  with  a  commander,  a  lieute- 
nant, an  artist,  myself  as  clerk  in  the  cabin,  and  a 
crew  of  1 7  men  including  a  cook  and  a  steward. 
She  was  well  supplied  with  all  necessary  instru- 
ments for  surveying,  with  2 1  chronometers  in  the 
cabin,  and  in  addition  we  had  a  deep-sea-sounding 
apparatus  with  lines,  shot,  and  all  complete.  She 
carried  two  months  water  and  provisions  for  21 
men ;  so  that  she  lay  low  in  the  water  and  looked 
fast  and  pretty. 

September  26th.  After  returning  to  Mare 
Island  to  repair  an  injury  to  the  jib-boom  we  set 
sail  at  1 1  a.m.  on  this  day  and  about  4  p.m.  we 
had  passed  the  Golden  Gate  and  discharged  our 
pilot,  and  stood  on  our  cruise.  Thewu^  vvas  from 
S.W.  with  heavy  seas.  The  schooner  rolled  with 
a  quick  jerky  motion  which  made  us  all  seasick  for 
the  first  few  days. 


174  THE   NARRATIVE 


October  ist,  1858.  We  caught  an  albatross. 
Our  Captain  tied  a  piece  of  tin  around  its  neck 
marked  with  Long.  130°,  o',  8"  S.  and  Lat>  30°, 
50',  o"  N.  October  2nd,  and  let  the  bird  free  next 
morning. 

On  October  3rd  it  was  calm  and  cloudy  aj- 
though  the  sea  still  ran  high.  We  hove  to  in  order 
to  make  the  first  sounding  of  the  Pacific  with  the 
apparatus  our  Captain  had  invented  when  he  was  a 
midshipman. 

About  9  a.m.  we  let  the  apparatus  down  into 
the  sea  and  began  sounding.  But  the  apparatus 
did  not  reach  the  bottom  until  10.15  a.m.  by  which 
time  we  had  let  out  2,600  fathom  of  line.  The 
first  200  yards  or  so  ran  off  with  great  velocity, 
but  after  that  it  went  slowly,  as  the  weight  of  the 
line  seemed  to  retard  it.  At  11.15  a.m.  we  began 
to  reel  in  the  line  and  had  got  about  200  or 
300  yards  on  board  when  the  cord  parted  on 
account  of  the  strain  on  it  from  the  roll  of  the 
vessel. 

At  noon  we  cast  another  line,  and  in  about  an 
hour  the  shot  seemed  to  have  reached  the  bottom. 
We  at  once  began  to  reel  in.  This  time  we  were 
fortunate  to  recover  the  line  and  the  shot  and  to 
bring  up  a  specimen  of  the  earth  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Pacific.  No  doubt  this  was  the  very  first 
specimen  so  obtained  from  there  since  the  creation 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  175 


of  the  world.  The  depth  we  got  was  not  very 
accurate,  but  the  line  was  out  2,800  fathoms. 

The  specimen  was  a  light,  yellow,  sandy- 
coloured  tenacious  clay,  soft  and  with  very  fine 
particles.  Under  the  microscope  it  looked  like 
broken  China  ware.  During  the  sounding  we  ex- 
perienced occasional  heavy  swells,  rolling  from  N.W. 
to  S.  E.  with  intervals  of  about  200  to  500  yards 
between  them.  They  would  keep  on  for  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  at  a  time.  Our  Captain  measur- 
ed their  height  from  the  deck.  He  said  they  were 
about  the  highest  waves  known  in  the  world, 
measuring  as  they  did  from  20  to  22  feet  in  altitude. 

Whilst  we  were  reeling  in  the  line  we  noticed 
some  large  fish  playing  on  it  about  30  yards  below 
the  surface.  These  we  supposed  to  be  sharks.  It 
took  about  3*^  hours  to  recover  the  line. 

After  this  we  set  our  sails  and  stood  on  our 
course  till  the  8th  of  October,  when  we  had  an- 
other calm  day.  At  5  p.m.  we  hove  to  and  cast 
soundings.  At  6.12  p.m.  the  shot  reached  the 
bottom,  with  1,900  fathom  of  line  out.  At  8.30 
p.m.  we  recovered  the  line  with  a  specimen  similar 
to  the  former  one. 

On  the  following  morning  we  again  took 
soundings.  This  time  we  brought  up  another 
similar  specimen  after  having  paid  out  2,200 
iathoms  of  line. 


176  THE   NARRATIVE 


While .  this  sounding  was  in  progress,  our 
Captain  ordered  a  boat  to  be  lowered.  He  got 
into  it  with  some  glass  instrument  and  went  off 
about  600  yards  from  the  schooner  and  experiment- 
ed on  the  transmission  of  sound  under  water. 

October  2ist.  We  had  anothej  sounding,  and 
on  this  occasion  we  brought  some  water  from  the 
bottom,  by  attaching  a  glass  tube  of  about  2*/£  feet 
in  length  to  the  end  of  the  iron  rod.  We  found 
that  the  specific  gravity  of  this  water  did  not  differ 
materially  from  that  at  the  surface. 

November  6th.  We  sighted  Mani,  one  of 
the  Sandwich  group  and  on  the  gth  we  arrived  at 
Honolulu  after  a  passage  of  43  days,  during  which 
we  had  stopped  several  times  to  make  soundings. 
We  found  the  centre  of  the  Pacific  between  Califor- 
nia and  the  Sandwich  Islands  to  be  much  shallower 
than  the  portions  adjacent  to  these  places.  When 
we  rounded  Diamond  Head  a  steam  tug  came  out 
and  towed  us  into  the  harbour.  Here  many  people 
came  on  board,  among  them  being  Mr.  A.  B.  Bates, 
Attorney-General  of  the  Hawaian  Kingdom,  Mr. 
Denman,  the  editor  of  the  local  newspaper,  and 
English  and  French  men-of-war  officers.  They  all 
congratulated  us  on  our  arrival,  and  stated  that  it 
had  been  feared  and  reported  that  our  vessel  had 
been  lost,  since  nothing  had  been  heard  of -us 
since  we  left  San  Francisco  43  days  before. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  177 


I  was  invited  by  the  Attorney-General,  Mr. 
Bates,  to  stay  at  his  house,  while  our  schooner 
was  in  the  harbour,  and  I  accepted  his  invitation. 

November  2ot/i.  After  breakfast  we  came  into 
town,  and  I  went  and  reported  myself  to  the 
Captain.  I  was  told  that  a  whaler  had  picked  up 
some  of  my  countrymen  and  brought  them  into 
port.  I  asked  the  Captain  for  our  boat  and  went 
off  to  the  "  Plobomac"  on  which  they  were  said 
to  be. 

I  found  that  they  had  been  picked  up  in  a 
helpless  condition  by  some  vessel  2  years  before, 
and  that  so  far  they  had  found  no  opportunity  of 
fulfilling  their  'wish  to  return  to  Japan.  They  had 
been  Owari  men,  five  in  all ;  sailors  oa  an  Owari 
junk  trading  between  that  place  and  Yedo,  They 
had  been  blown  off  the  coast,  and  after  drifting  for 
some  months  they  had  been  picked  up  by  the 
whaler  Chas.  Pk&ppi.  They  had  afterwards  met 
the  Hobomac,  short  of  hands,  and  this  vessel  had 
taken  two  of  the  five  men  on  board.  I  asked 
them  how  they  had  been  treated  on  that  ship. 
They  answered  that  they  had  been  treated  with 
extreme  kindness  by  Captain  and  officers  alike, 
and  asked  me  to  thank  the  ship's  company  for  all 
that  they  had  done  for  them.  I  then  asked  them 
whether  they  wished  to  remain  where  they  were, 
or  whether  they  wished  to  return  to  their  country. 


178  THE    NARRATIVE 


They  said  that  of  course  by  all  means  they  wished 
to  return  to  their  country  and  their  families  if  by 
any  chance  they  might  haply  do  so. 

After  I  came  ashore  I  told  Mr.  Bates  of  the 
men's  desire.  He  said  he  knew  of  a  Captain  go- 
ing on  a  cruise  in  the  course  of  which  he  would 
touch  at  Hakodate,  and  that  he  would  ask  that 
Captain  to  land  them  tjiere.  Next  day  he  saw  the 
Captain  of  the  Godean,  and  arranged  with  him  'that 
these  two  Japanese  should  return  to  their  country 
on  his  ship. 

The  following  morning  Mr.  Bates  and  myself 
went  on  board  the  Hobomac  and  asked  her  Captain 
whether  he  had  any  objection  to  let  these  two 
Japanese  leave  his  vessel.  He  answered  that  he 
had  none ;  and  said  that  it  had  been  his  intention  if 
he  went  on  another  cruise  to  land  them  at  Hako- 
date, but  now  seeing  that  there  was  an  earlier 
opportunity  for  their  return  he  was  glad  to  let  them 
go.  So  we  came  ashore  and  bought  some  bags  of 
rice  for  the  men's  food  on  the  voyage,  and  sent  them 
on  board  the  Godean  delighted. 

A  few  days  another  Japanese  was  brought  into 
port  by  the  whaler  and  I  at  once  went  to  see  him. 
He  was  from  the  island  of  Awaji  and  had  been  cast 
away  with  two  companions  in  a  small  coasting  junk 
between  his  own  place  and  Kishiu.  The  vessel 
had  broken  her  rudder  and  had  then  been  blown 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  179 


off  the  coast.  His  two  comrades  had  died  from 
want  of  food,  and  he  was  all  but  dead  when  he  was 
picked  up  by  the  whaler. 

When  he  saw  me  in  undress  uniform  with 
brass  buttons  and  gold  bands  on  my  cap  he  was 
somewhat  afraid  of  me  when  I  addressed  him  in  his 
own  language,  for  he  did  not  know  who  I  was.  He 
immediately  fell  on  his  knees  and  began  to  relate 
his  story.  I  told  him  to  get  up,  saying  that  I  was  a 
countryman  of  his  own  similarly  situated,  and  on 
my  way  back  to  Japan  in  an  American  Government 
vessel.  Upon  this  he  begged  me  to  taice  him  with 
me  in  my  vessel.  I  told  him  I  would  see  what 
could  be  done.  When  I  returned  to  the  Cooper  I 
reported  the  man's  case  to  the  Captain.  He  im- 
mediately told  me  to  bring  him  on  board  and  I 
went  and  got  the  permission  of  the  Captain  of  the 
whaler  to  do  so. 

When  Captain  Brooke  saw  him  he  said  he 
would  take  him  in  his  vessel  to  Japan,  shipping  him 
as  a  "landsman"  at  the  rate  of  $12  per  month. 
When  I  told  the  man  this  he  was  delighted  beyond 
measure. 

After  this  I  went  with  him  on  board  his  vessel 
and  asked  the  Captain  to  let  him  go.  The  Captain 
of  the  whaler  said  he  was  quite  willing  to  comply 
with  my  request,  and  went  on  to  say  that  "  Tim  " 
(that  was  what  the  man  was  called  by  the  crew) 


l8o  THE   NARRATIVE 


had  proved  himself  a  good  and  obedient  worker 
and  that  he  was  a  great  favourite  with  the  officers 
and  the  crew.  He  added  that  if  Tim  chose  to  ac- 
company him  he  was  prepared  to  give  him  an  edu- 
cation in  the  U.  S.,  but  that  now  that  this  excellent 
chance  of  returning  to  his  country  had  offered  he 
certainly  would  not  stand. in  his  way: 

So  next  day  Tim  was  transferred  to  the 
Cooper  and  in  her  he  reached  Yokohama  safely  in 
1859. 

Among  the  acquaintances*!  made  in  Honolulu 
was  a  Mr.  Haskill,  a  member  of  the  Lower  House 
of  Parliament.  One  day  in  December  he  invited 
me  to  visit  the  House  and  witness  the  proceedings. 

The  two  Houses  sit  in  one  building.  The 
proceedings  are  in  the  native  language,  although 
the  Laws  and  Edicts  are  generally  published  in 
English,-  which  seems  to  be  the  language  of  law  in- 
those  islands.  On  the  day  of  my  visit  there  were 
seven  or  eight  Members  present.  Of  the  Mem- 
bers t>f  the  Lower  House  half  are  natives,  and  the 
other  half  are  Europeans  or  foreigners  who  have 
been  naturalized  as  Hawaians,  for  naturalization 
renders  them  eligible  for  office.  The  Members 
of  the  Upper  House  were,  I  was  told,  native  nobles 
and  Ministers  of  State. 

December  2$th.  On  this  day  we  took  our 
departure  to  survey  the  "  reported  shoals  and  dan- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  l8l 


gerous  rocks."  Wlien  we  got  outside  I  became 
quite  squeamish  and  had  to  retire  to  my  bunk 
where  I  remained  for  several  days. 

We  were  at  sea  for  more  than  a  month  during 
which  time  we  experienced  two  cyclones  and 
several  gales,  but  thanks  to  our  Captain  s  cau- 
tion, we  sustained  no  damage  from  them.  We 
returned  to  Honolulu  on  the  5th  of  February, 
1859. 

I  at  once  went  ashore,  and  after  riding  out  to 
Waekeke  and  back  !  called  at  the  U.  S.  Consulate, 
to  see  if  there  were  any  newspapers  for  us  there. 
We  found  several,  and  on  beginning  to  peruse 
them  after  returning  on  board,  I  was  overjoyed 
to  notice  that  a  commercial  treaty  had  been  con- 
cluded between  the  U.  S.  and  Japanese  Govern- 
ments, and  that  three  new  ports  were  to  be  opened 
in  the  July  following. 

February  qth.  This  was  King  Kameamea 
III.'s  birthday,  and  the  harbour  was  gay  with  bunt- 
ing. At  noon  there  was  a  salute  of  2 1  guns  from  the 
men-of-war,  and  of  101  from  the  fort,  while  some 
of  the  whalers  also  burnt  powder  to  celebrate  the 
day.  On  shore  crowds  of  natives  of  both  sexes 
turned  out  in  calico  dresses  on  horseback,  the  wo- 
men riding  just  in  the  same  fashion  as  men  do  in 
America. 

Febritary  2ist.     Our   departure   drew   near; 


1 82  THE   NARRATIVE 


but  I  had  suffered  so  much  from  sea-sickness  on 
board  our  craft,  and  had  so  little  duty  to  do  on 
her  that  now  that  I  knew  my  country  was  to 
be  opened  in  July,  I  was  anxious  to  leave  the 
Coopey  and  return  if  possible  via  Hongkong  or 
Hakodate.  This  would  be  much  quicker  than  by 
the  schooner,  for  she  was  to  visit  first  Manila,  and 
Hongkong  and  then  Loochoo  before  reaching 
Japan.  So  one  day  I  asked  the  Captain  whether 
he  could  consent  to  my  leaving  him.  He  replied 
that  if  I  got  a  passage  via  Hongkong  or  Hakodate 
he  had  no  objection,  since  I  seemed  to  suffer  much 
from  the  smallness  of  the  vessej.  If  I  went  via 
Hongkong  he  would  give  me  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  the  flag-officer  of  the  squadron  in  China, 
and  would  promote  my  interest  in  every  way  he 
possibly  could. 

I  was  extremely  sorry  to  part  with  the  officers 
and  men  for  they  had  been  very  kind  to  me  while 
on  board.  Besides  my  funds  were  low,  and  though 
if  I  economized  and  got  the  chance  of  a  vessel  at 
an  early  date  I  might  manage  to  cross  as  far  as 
China  yet  I  thought  it  advisable  to  consult  with  one 
of  my  kind  friends  on  shore.  When  I  mentioned 
the  case  to  Mr.  F.  Hanks  of  the  U.  S.  Commis- 
sioner's Office  he  said  he  would  be  glad  if  I  would 
stay  at  his  house  till  a  vessel  came  for  China.  So 
I  sent  in  my  resignation  to  Capt.  Brooke  who 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  183 


accepted  it,  and  wrote  me  the  following  letter  in 
reply : —  _ 

Fcnnimore  Cooper, 

Honolulu,  S.I.,  March  8th,  1859. 
MY  DEAB  SIR, 

At  your  solicitation  and  in  consideration  of  your  health  which 
suffers  from  long  confinement  on  board  so  small  a  vessel  as  the  Cooper 
I  have  accepted  your  resignation.  It  was  my  wish  to  land  you.  safely 
in  Japan,  and  there  to  make  such  arrangements,  if  in  my  power,  as 
would  enable  you  to  visit  your  family  without  delay.  The  recent 
change,  however,  which  has  taken  place  iu  Japan,  and  the  fact  that 
liberal  treaties  have  been  made,  render  it  probable  that  you  will  meet 
with  less  difficulty  in  returning  'to  your  family  than  others  of  your  un- 
fortunate shipwrecked  countrymen,  who  have  preceded  yoa. 

As  you  have  made  arrangement  for  a  passage  to  Hakodate  in  the 
Militia,  and  your  way  is  comparatively  clear,  I  trust  that  we 'shall 
find  you  in  Japan,  when  we  arrive  in  the  Cooper.  In  parting,  it  only 
remains  to  express  the  high  regard  which  I  have  for  you  and  to  say 
that  during  our  association  your  conduct  has  been  such  as  to  merit 
the  highest  commendation.  1  can  therefore  recommend  you  to  the  con- 
fidence^ of  those  by  whom  you  may  hereafter  be  employed,  and  request 
for  you  the  kindness  and  attention  due  to  modest  merit, — particularly 
in  the  case  of  a  person  situated  as  you  are — seeking  to  return  to  your 
native  country  after  an  absence  of  so  many  years,  and  under  circum- 
stances of  doubt  and  trial. 

I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  of  your  success,  and  if  at  any  time  you 
should  have  occasion  to  ask  aid  from  me,  I  shall  be  most  happy  to 
render  it. 

Your  true  friend, 
(Signed)        JOHN.  M.  BROOKE, 

Lieut. -Commanding  U.  S.  N. 
JOSEPH  HKCO,  ESQ., 

CAPTAIN'S  CLERK, 

U.  S.'  Schooner  Fcnnimore  Cooper, 

About  a  week  after  the  Cooper  had  left,  the 
whaling-ship  Militia  was  to  leave  for  her  northern 
cruise.  So  I  made  arrangements  with  her  Captain 
tq  take  me  and  land  me  at  Hakodate.  But  before 
she  went  the  clipper  Sea  Serpent,  Captain  Whit- 
more,  from  San  Francisco  for  Hongkong  entered 
tjie  harbour.  She  had  several  cabin  passengers 


184  THE   NARRATIVE 


and  among  them  was  my  old  friend,  E.  M.  Van 
Reed,  bound  for  Japan  via  China.  He  advised  me 
to  go  with  him  instead  of  going  on  the  Militia.  I 
consulted  Mr.  Hanks  about  the  matter.  He  said 
that  if  I  wished  to  go  in  the  Sea  Serpent  he  would 
secure  a  passage  for  me  since  he  was  acquainted 
with  the  Captain.  I  told  him  that  my  funds 
amounted  to  only  $120,  and  asked  if  that  would  be 
enough  to  carry  me -through.  He  said  that  would 
be  all  right,  and  that  I  had  better  allow  him  to 
arrange  the  matter. 

Next  day  when  the  ship  was  ready  to  sail  Mr. 
Hanks  handed  me  a  first-class  ticket.  I  wished  to 
pay  for  it,  but  my  friend  said  that  he  had  arranged 
matters  with  the  Captain  and  that  it  was  all  right. 
I  thanked  him  for  his  kindness.  Just  as  we  were 
leaving  in  the  boat  to  go  on  board  the  clipper  Mr. 
Hanks  gave  me  a  note  which  he  wished  me  to 
look  over  when  I  got  on  board  the  Sea  Serpent. 
As  soon  as  I  reached  the  ship,  I  opened  it,  when  to 
my  great  surprise,  I  found  a  subscription  list  headed 
by  Mr.  Hank's  name.  And  that  was  how  he  had 
made  "it  all  right"  with  the  Captain! 

We  set  sail  on  March  the  i2th,  1859,  an<^ 
after  a  run  of  25  days  we  reached  Hongkong  at 
12.30  a.m.  of  April  22nd. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  185 


XVII. 

I  got  up  early  to  see  the  place  I  had  seen 
seven  years  ago.  I  at  once  observed  the  port  was 
crowded  with  ships  at  anchor,  that  the  harbour  it- 
self looked  busier,  and  that  great  improvements 
had  been  made  ashore  since  my  visit  in  1852. 

Among  the  passengers,  Messrs.  L.  Clarke, 
Van  Reed,  Geo.  Glover,  and  myself  were  invited 
by  the  Captain  to  remain  on  board  while  the  vessel 
was  in  port,  and  all  accepted  his  invitation. 

After  breakfast  I  went  on  shore  and  called  on 
Mr.  Speiden,  U.  S.  Naval  storekeeper  at  this  port, 
to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Mr. 
Bates  of  Honolulu.  He  invited  me  to  take  up  my 
quarters  at  his  house  while  I  was  in  Hongkong, 
but  I  thanked  him  and  told  him  how  I  was  situated. 
He  told  me  that  Commodore  Tatnal  was  expected 
from  India  with  the  TJ.  S.  Minister  to -China,  and 
that  he  would  leave  for  the  North  shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  Hongkong,  and  that  consequently  I  would 
have  a  sure  chance  of  getting  back  to  my  country. 

April  loth.     Being  Sunday,  I  went  ashore  in 


1 86  THE   NARRATIVE 


order  to  go  to  church  to  offer  my  sincere  thanks  to 
Almighty  God  for  bringing  me  thus  far  nearer  to 
my  home  in  safety. 

On  April  1 7th  Capt.  Whitmore  took  me  with 
him  on  a  visit  to  Canton.  Here  I  met  "Dan," 
one  of  my  comrades  in  the  junk  when  we  were 
cast  away.  I  had  not  seen  him  since  we  had  part- 
ed on  board  the  Susquehanna  in  1852.  He  was 
living  with  the  British  Consul  (Mr.  Alcock)  at  Can- 
ton. He  informed  me  that  his  employer  had  been 
appointed  British  Consul-General  to  our  native 
country,  and  that  he  (Dan)  was  engaged  to  ac- 
company him -when  he  should  proceed  to  Japan 

About  a  fortnight  after  I  had  returned  to 
Hongkong,  on  May  2nd,  I  had  a  call  from  "  Dan  " 
who  meanwhile  had  left  Canton.  He  asked  me  to 
call  on  his  employer  Mr.  Alcock  and  I  went  with 
him.  He  introduced  me  to  a  Mr.  C6rwin,  who 
had  been  appointed  Interpreter  tovthe  British  Con- 
sul-General at  Yedo.  He  spoke  Dutch,  a  lan- 
guage with  which  several  Japanese  were  acquaint- 
ed. After  this  "  Dan "  took  me  to  Mr.  Alcock's 
office  and  introduced  me  to  higi.  Mr.  Alcock  re- 
ceived me  very  cordjally  and  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  me,  and  as  I  was  leaving  very  kindly 
offered  me  a  post  as  Interpreter.  This  offer  I  had 
to  decline  politely  for  two  reasons.  In  the  first 
place  one  of  my  shipwrecked  companions  was  al- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  187 


ready  occupying  a  somewhat  menial  position  with 
him,  and  in  the  next  I  felt  that  I  owed  so  much  to 
the  good  people  of  the  U.  S.  and  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  that  country  for  the  kind  treatment  I  had 
received  at  their  hands  that  I  held  it  to  be  my  duty 
to  reach  my  country  free,  see  the  U.  S.  Minister 
there,  and  put  my  services  at  his  disposal  first.  If 
he  should  not  need  them,  then,  well  and  good ;  I 
should  be  free  to  act. 

May  6ili.  I  had  received  repeated  invitations 
from  Mr.  Speiden  to  take  up  my  quarters  at  his 
residence,  and  how  learning  that  the  Sea  Serpent 
would  be  ready  for  sea  in  a  day  or  two,  I  bade  the 
Captain  and  all  hands'  good-bye,  and,  giving  them 
my  best  wishes,  went  ashore  to  live  with  Mr.  Speiden. 
That  gentleman's  father  had  been  Chief  Purser 
in  Commodore  Perry's  expedition  to  Japan  in  1853. 

June  loth.  By  this  time  it  was  reporteq!  that 
the  U.  S.  ship  Powhatan,  Commodore  Tatnal,  was 
expected  from  Indian  ports  with  Mr.  Ward,  the 
U.  S.  Minister  to  China  on  board.  Early  this 
morning  we  heard  guns  and  on  Mr.  Speiden's 
going  out  to  see  what  it  was,  he  saw  the  Powhatan 
had  come  into  port  and  that  she  was  exchanging 
salutes  with  the  English  and  other  men-of-war. 

Mr.  Speiden  immediately  went  on  board  the 
Pawhatan  and  in  about  two  hours  returned  with 
the  intelligence  that  the  U.  S.  Minister  and  his 


1 88  THE   NARRATIVE 


suite  were  on  her.  In  the  afternoon  he  asked  me 
to  accompany  him.  So  I  went  on  board  with  him, 
and  presented  my  letter  of  introduction  from  my 
friend  Capt.  J.  M.  Brooke  to  the  Commodore. 

The  Commodore  read  the  letter  and  .said  that 
provided  it  was  in  his  power  he  would  be  most 
happy  to  give  me  any  aid  to  return  to  my«  native 
land.  But  as  things  then  stood,  he  was  not  going 
to  Japan  at  all,  and  besides  having  the  Minister  to 
China  and  his  suite  on  board,  he  had  no  spare 
cabin,  having  actually  had  to  give  up  his  own  one 
though  he  was  then  suffering  from  a  severe  attack 
of  gout. 

"However,"  he  said,  "although  my  ship  is 
not  going  up  to  Japan,  I  must  despatch  the  Missis- 
sippi or  some  other  vessel  with  the  new  Minister 
(Mr.  Harris)  to  Japan,  who  is  now,  I  am  informed, 
in  Shanghai.  So,  Mr.  Speiden,  if  you  can  make 
any  arrangement  with  the  ward-room  officers  for 
Mr.  Heco  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  carry  him  as  far 
as  Shanghai,  and  thence  he  may  reach  Japan  in  one 
of  the  vessels  which  I  shall  have  to  send  to  convey 
Mr.  Harris  there." 

Mr.  Speiden,  acting  upon  this  hint,  took  me 
down  to  the  ward-room  and  introduced  me  to  the 
officers.  There  were  five  Lieutenants,  three  Doc- 
tors, die  Commodore's  Secretary  and  -a  Chief 
Engineer.  They  at  once  invited  me  to  take  up  my 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  189 


quarters  among  them,  and  the  first  Lieutenant  said 
that  there  would  be  a  vacant  cabin,  as  they  had 
chartered  a  steam-tender  which  one  of  the  Lieute- 
nants would  have  to  command.  Thus  the  whole 
arrangement  was  made  then  and  there.  It  made 
me  exceedingly  happy  to  think  that  my  prospects 
of  reaching  home  were  assured. 

May  ijth.  This  was  die  day  fixed  for  the 
sailing  of  the  Pan'hatan.  I  went  on  board  and 
found  a  cabin  ready  for  me.  It  had  been  vacated 
by  Lieutenant  Semmes  who  had  gone  to  command 
the  little  steamer  Toydwan,  which  had  been  charter- 
ed as  .a  tender.  On  the  following  day  the  Pow- 
haian  steamed  out  for  Shanghai  lid  Ningpo.  We 
arrived  at  our  destination  on  May  2/th,  and  found 
the  U.  S.  ship  Mississippi  at  anchor  there.  She 
sent  off  a  boat  with  an  officer  to  exchange  the 
usual  compliments  with  us. 

On  the  29th,  I  accompanied  the  officers  of 
the  Pow,haian  on  a  visit  to  the  Mississippi,  in 
order  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  her  officers  and 
also  to  be  introduced  to  the  U.  S.  Minister,  Harris. 

When  I  was  introduced  to  Capt.  Nicolson  and 
his  officers,  they  received  me  very  kindly  and 
readily  expressed  their  willingness  to  give  me  a 
passage  to  Japan,  when  their  ship  was  ordered 
thither. 

Then  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Harris,  the  late 


190  THE    NARRATIVE 


U.  S.  Consul-Gcneral  and  newly  created  Minister 
to  Japan.  He  received  me  cordially  and  asked  me 
many  questions  as  to  how  I  had  left  my  country, 
how  long  I  had  been  in  America,  and  whether  I 
had  been  naturalized  or  not.  At  the  close  of  our 
conversation  he  requested  me  to  bring  the  original 
naturalization  papers  to  shew  him,  and  to  make  a 
duplicate  of  them  which  I  was  to  hand  over  to  him 
as  it  devolved  upon  him  to  take  charge  of  me  when 
we  arrived  in  Japan. 

I  was  also  introduced  to  Mr.  E.  M.  Dorr  of 
California,  whom  the  Minister  had  appointed  to 
the  post  of  U.  S.  Consul  at  Kanagawa  when  that 
port  should  be  opened  to  trade.  That  gentleman 
at  once  offered  me  the  position  of  official  inter- 
preter to  his  Consulate,  and  I  accepted  his  offer  after 
consultation  with  the  Minister  and  others.  The 
Captain  of  the  Mississippi  had  offered  me  a  pass- 
age, the  officers  had  invited  me  to  mess  with  them 
in  the  ward-room,  and  now  the  Consul  had  given 
me  a  government  position.  Thus  I  was  nicely 
placed  for  my  return  home,  and  I  returned  to  the 
Paiyhatan  quite  happy  and  much  pleased  with  my 
visit  to  the  Mississippi. 

Next  morning  I  went  on  board  the  .Mississippi 
with  my  naturalization  certificate  and  a  duplicate 
which  I  had  made  in  accordance  with  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Minister.  Mr.  Harris  read  the  original 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


document,  and  handed  it  back  to  me  and  I  gave  him 
the  duplicate.  He  told  me,  that  on  our  arrival  at 
Kanagawa  he  would  have  to  shew  it  to  the  Go- 
vernor of  the  place,  and  afterwards  would  have  to 
hand  it  to  the  Minister  of  State  at  Yedo,  assuring 
them  that  I  was  an  American  citizen  and  no  longer 
a  Japanese. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  Shanghai  and  called 
on  Mr.  Dow,  who  was  staying  at  A.  Heard  &  Co.'s 
there.  He  expressed  his  pleasure  at  seeing  me 
and  said  he  was  waiting  to  arrange  about  my 
engagement,  to  fix  my  salary  and  generally  to 
make  preparations  for  our  departure  to  Japan. 
And  everything  was  arranged  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all  concerned.  I  then  went  to  call  on  one  of  my 
countrymen  who  was  occupying  a  situation  with 
Dent  &  Co.  Some  10  or  15  years  before  our  time 
he  had  been  cast  away.  He  had  been  picked  up 
by  an  English  merchantman  and  at  once  taken  "back 
to  Japan.  But  the  Japanese  had  fired  upon  him 
and  driven  him  away.  So  he  was  brought  back  to 
Shanghai  and  landed  there.  Then  some  mission- 
aries had  taken  him  in  hand  and  educated  him  and 
he  had  at  last  got  a  position  in  the  Settlement  in 
which  he  was  doing  well.  He  was  from  the 
Province  of  Owari,  and  his  name  was  Ottosan.  It 
was  from  him  that  I  first  learned  what  had  become 
of  my  thirteen  shipwrecked  comrades  that  I  left  at 


192  THE  NARRATIVE 


Comsingmoon  in  1852.  As  intended  by  the  U.  S. 
Government  they  had  gone  with  Perry's  expedition 
to  Japan.  But  they  were  afraid  to  face  the  officials 
of  their  country  at  Uraga.  In  spite  of  all  the  Com- 
modore could  do,  they  would  not  appear  on  deck. 
So  Commodore  Perry  had  brought  them  back  to 
Shanghai,  where  Mr.  Ottosan  welcomed  them  and 
took  charge  of  them.  Afterwards  he  applied  to 
the  Chinese  authorities  on  their  behalf  for  a  passage 
for  them  to  Nagasaki  on  one  of  the  vessels  die  Chi- 
nese annually  sent  there.  The  Chinese  Govern- 
ment acceded  to  the  request,  and  the  thirteen  cast- 
aways were  taken  to  Nagasaki  on  one  of  their 
junks.  About  June  I3th,  1859,  ^  shifted  from  the 
Powhatan  to  the  Mississippi,  and  two  days  later 
the  latter  vessel  steamed  out  of  Woosung  with  the 
new  Minister  to  Japan,  the  Consul  for  Kanagawa 
and  myself  on  board  for  Nagasaki.  By  the  night 
of  the  i  yth  we  had  neared  the  entrance  to  Naga- 
saki, and  on  the  following  morning  we  entered  its 
picturesque  and  land-locked  harbour  and  came  to 
anchor  there. 

Just  before  we  had  let  go  the  anchor,  a  native 
boat  sculled  off  to  us  with  three  officials  on  board. 
These  officers  were  from  the  native  custom-house 
and  came  to  ascertain  who  we  were,  whence  we 
had  come,  and  what  the  object  of  our  visit  was. 
The  deck  officer  received  them  and  gave  them  all 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  193 


the  information  they  asked  for.  They  jotted  it 
down  in  a  little  note-book  and  t&ok  their  departure. 
Shortly  after  another  boat  came  off.  This  was 
from  the  English  man-of-war  Sampson  to  exchange 
the  usual  compliments,  and  soon  yet  another  came 
from  the  Russian  war-vessels  in  the  harbour  on  the 
same  errand.  We  learned  that  the  Sampson  car- 
ried Mr.  R.  Alcock,  the  British  Consul-General  and 
suite  bound  for  Kanagawa  and  Yedo. 

About  9  o'clock  several  sampans  came  along- 
side with  native  dealers  in  curios,  lacquered  and 
porcelain  wares,  vegetables,  fruit  and  general  fresh 
provisions  for  the  men's  mess.  I  felt  very  anxious 
to  speak  to  them  but  Capt.  Nicolson  of  the- Missis- 
sippi had  requested  me  just  before  we  came  to 
anchor  not  to  talk  with  any  native,  or  to  go  ashore 
at  Nagasaki,  inasmuch  as  the  Minister  was  in  a 
hurry  to  reach  Kanagawa  and  Yedo,  and  if  any- 
thing happened  to  me,  at  the  hands  of  the  native 
authorities  or  otherwise,  the  Minister  would  be 
bound  to  stop  and  protect  me,  since  I  was  an  Ame- 
rican citizen.  Thus  perforce  I  had  to  remain  silent 
although  I  heard  Japanese  spoken  all  around  me. 
Not  one  of  the  natives  who  had  come  on  board 
suspected  that  I  was  a  fellow  countryman  of  theirs 
or  that  I  knew  their  language, — not  even  the  pilot 
who  had  brought  our  ship  into  the  harbour. 

However  I  kept  my  ears  open  to  their  talk, 


194  THE   NARRATIVE 


and  greedily  drank  in  all  they  said.  They  appear- 
ed to  be  much  engrossed  in  the  matter  of  a  French- 
man who  had  come  over  as  a  passenger  in  one  of 
Dent  &  Co.'s  schooners  and  taken  away  a  native 
girl  with  him  to  Shanghai.  He  had  hid  her  in  the 
cabin  of  the  vessel,  but  the  native  authorities  some- 
how got  to  know  of  it.  After  the  schooner  had 
gone,  the  Governor  arrested  the  girl's  parents  and 
put  them  in  prison  to  be  kept  there  till  the  girl  was 
produced  by  the  man  who  had  enticed  her  away. 
Negotiations  were  being  conducted  through  the 
Agent  for  Dent  &  Co.  The  owners  had  compelled 
the  Frenchman  to  bring  the  girl  back,  but  he  had 
not  yet  delivered  her  to  the  authorities  or  to  her 
parents.  Next  day  the  natives  came  on  board  and 
again  fell  to  discussing  the  subject,  prom  what 
there  I  learned  that  the  girl  had  been  handed  to 
the  native  authorities  who  had  put  her  in  prison 
and  liberated  her  parents. 

On  the  1 8th  we  began  coaling,  and  on  the 
following  morning  the  Sampson  passed  out  for 
Kanagawa  with  the  English  Corisul-General  and 
his  suite  on  board.  On  the  2ist  we  were  still 
coaling  in  the  rain.  About  dusk  it  was  reported 
that  a  Japanese  sailor  had  had  a  fight  with  one  of 
our  crew  and  that  the  former  had  been  badly  hurt. 
The  deck-officer  hastened  to  the  scene,  where  he 
found  a  native  lying  on  the  deck  groaning  and 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  195 


talking  to  a  two-sworded  official  standing  by 
him.  The  deck-officer  asked  a  marine  standing 
beside  them  what  the  matter  was.  The  marine 
stated  that  as  he  stood  on  guard  beside  the  paddle- 
box  he  had  seen  one  of  our  crew  bringing  a  small 
tub  of  sake  on  board.  So  he  -seized  him  and  the 
sake-tub  and  questioned  the  sailor  as  to  where  he 
got  it.  The  man  said  that  one  of  the  coolies  on 
the  coal  junk  had  sold  it  to  him,  so  the  marine 
asked  him  to  point  out  the  coolie.  Then  the 
sailor  had  pointed  at  the  man  then  lying  on  the 
deck.  The  marine  at  once  laid  hold  of  him,  and 
told  him  to  walk  on,  meaning  to  bring  him  before 
the  deck-officer.  But  the  coolie  would  not  move, 
so  the  marine  kicked  him  by  way  of  effectual  per- 
suasion. Then  the  victim  lay  down  and  yelled 
lustily,  and  the  officer  and  die  interpreter  came 
running  to  the  spot  to  find  out  the  reason  of  the 
uproar. 

The  deck- officer  tried  to  convey  to  the  official 
what  the  marine  had  said.  But  the  interpreter's 
grasp  upon  English  was  so  weak,  that  the  official 
remained  as  wise  as  he  was  to  start  with,  and  at  last 
he  lost  his  temper  utterly  and  fell  into  a  towering 
rage.  Upon  this  the  deck-officer  (Lt.  Patterson) 
got  tired  of  talking,  and  asked  the  official  and  the 
interpreter  to  come  to  the  quarter-deck,  where  I 
was.  They  came,  and  then  the  Lieutenant  asked 


196  THE   NARRATIVE 


me  to  interpret  his  explanation  to -the  two-sworded 
man.  And  thus  it  was  that  I  was  first  brought  in- 
contact  with  my  countrymen  in  my  own  country 
again. 

Before  I  began  to  translate,  I  asked  the  marine 
for  the  facts  of  the  case.  He  stated  them  as  above, 
adding  that  it  was  contrary  to  the  Treaty  for  any 
native  to  sell  liquor  to  our  crew,  or  to  American 
sailors  on  board  ship.  Then  I  invited  the  official 
and  the  interpreter  to  come  to  the  officers'  smoking- 
room  where  we  could  be  quieter,  and  undisturbed 
by  the  noise  of  the  coaling.  When  we  got  seated 
I  began  to  explain  what  the  marine  had  said,  in 
Japanese.  The  official  started  bolt  upright  with 
surprise  when  I  began  to  utter  myself  in  his  own 
tongue  in  the  same  idiom  and  with  the  same  accent 
as  himself.  He  dropped  all  mention  of  the  man's 
case  at  once,  and  began  to  ply  me  with  question 
upon  question  as  to  who  I  was,  where  I  came  from, 
and  how  and  where  I  had  learned  his  language. 

Just  at  this  point  the  deck-officer,  who  had 
gone  for  a  bottle  of  champagne  and  some  cakes  to 
soothe  the  angry  official,  came  back  with  the  ward- 
room boy  and  the  wine.  He  at  once  asked  me 
if  I  had  got  through  with  the  case.  I  replied  that 
I  had  not  got  one  quarter  through  it  when  the 
official  had  dropped  it  to  ply  me  with  a  string  of 
questions  about  myself. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  197 


"And  what  did  you  tell  him?  "  said  the  deck- 
officer. 

"Oh!  I  told  him  I  am  an  American,  but  he 
won't  believe  it,"  I  answered. 

At  this  point  the  champagne  was  opened  and 
we  toasted  each  other.  Then  I  explained  the 
coolie's  case  as  it  had  been  explained  to  me  by  the 
marine.  The  official  said  that  the  case  was  not  so. 
The  junk-men  had  gone  to  supper,  and  while  they 
were  drinking,  an  American  sailor  came  and  asked 
them  to  sell  some  sake,  shewing  them  a  silver  piece 
as  a  convincing  argument.  But  they  declined  to 
sell  the  sake  since  the  coin  was  not  of  their  country. 
Whereupon  the  sailor  dropped  the  coin  among 
them,  picked  up  the  tub  of  sake  and  walked  off 
with  it  to  oiir  vessel  very  hastily.  But  the  watch- 
man at  the  paddle-box  saw  him  and  caught  him. 
He  then  said  something  to  that  watchman,  ajid  the 
latter  at  once  came  on  board  the  junk  and  pulled 
away  one  of  the  men  on  to  the  steamer's  deck. 
The  man  got  frightened  at  the  talk  of  the  watchman 
and  would  not  move.  Then  the  watchman  kicked 
him  so  that  he  yelled,  and  he  (the  official)  had 
heard  this,  and  had  gone  and  found  him  lying  on 
the  deck  mqch  hurt  on  account  of  that  kicking. 

The  official  said  that  the  sentry  had  no  right 
to  kick  or  ill-treat  a  native  in  any  way,  and  that  if 
the  latter  had  done  anything  wrong  it  was  the 


198  THE   NARRATIVE 


watchman  s  business  to  report  the  same  to  him 
\vho  was  the  judge  of  the  case,  and  who  was  there 
for  the  purpose  of  watching  the  natives  and  their 
behaviour.  At  this  point  the  Lieutenant  desired 
me  to  express  his  regret  at  what  had  happened, 
saying  that  he  would  instruct  his  men  to  be  more 
careful  in  future.  This  gave  the  official  perfect 
satisfaction  and  thus  the  case  was  amicably  settled. 
But  the  native  officer's  mind  appeared  to  be 
far  more  exercised  about  my  speaking  Japanese 
than  about  the  kicking  of  that  junk-man.  He  ask- 
ed again  and  again  how  I  came  to  know  his  langu- 
age and  who  I  was  but  I  gave  him  no  opportunity 
of  finding  out.  I  had  been  requested  by  Captain 
Nicolson  to  keep  my  own  counsel  till  we  came  to 
Kanagawa  and  I  did  so.  This  officer  belonged  to 
the  Daimio  of  Hizen  and  his  name  was  Massuda. 
I  met  him  again  in  Nagasaki  in  1867. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  199 


XVIII. 

On  June  22nd  we  got  under  weigh  for  the 
port  of  Shimoda.  It  took  us  nearly  four  days  to 
get  there  by  reason  a  constant  easterly  wind  and 
a  heavy  rainfall.  We  found  the  Wanderer,  a  little 
fore  and  aft  schooner  belonging  to  Heard  &  Co, 
of  Shanghai  lying  in  Shimoda  when  we  got  there. 

As  soon  as  we  anchored,  Secretary  Husken 
of  the  U.  S.  Legation  came  off  to  welcome  the 
Minister,  and  along  with  him  came  Capt.  James  of 
the  Wanderer  and  her  passenger  Van  Reed.  On 
the  following  day  the  Minister  began  to  pack  and 
chartered  a  native  junk  into  which  he  put  all  his 
baggage  and  effects.  While  the  Minister  was  get- 
ting ready  I  went  ashore  with  the  officers  of  the 
Mississippi  -and  visited  the  bazaar  and  assisted 
them  to  make  their  purchases.  When  we  landed 
at  the  jetty  we  met  several  Government  officials. 
These  we.re  the  first  Government  officers  with 
whom  I  again  spoke  my  native  tongue.  They  seem- 
ed to  take  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  us,  and  to  be 
very  anxious  to  learn  all  they  could  about  America 
and  the  Americans. 


2OO  THE    NARRATIVE 


At  this  place  I  asked  for  my  stepfather  and 
my  brother  by  their  names  since  I  knew  that  they 
used  to  frequent  this  port  in  their  vessels.  But 
none  of  the  townspeople  knew  anything  about 
them,  for  many  of  the  residents  had  changed  since 
the  Great  Earthquake  of  1854;  the  place  having 
been  nearly  utterly  destroyed  by  tidal  waves  that 
swept  up  upon  it  soon, after  the  earthquake  of  that 
year. 

On  June  3<Dth  the  Mississippi  steamed  out  of 
the  harbour  with  a  junk  and  the  Wanderer  in 
tow;  and  steered  for  Kanagawa.  About  noon  we 
passed  Uraga,  and  as  about  this  time  a  little  light 
S.  W.  wind  came  up,  we  cast  off  the  Wanderer 
to  sail  up,  and  steamed  steadily  onwards  ourselves 
and  came  to  anchor  in  Kanagawa  Bay  about  3.30 
p.m.  As  we  came  in  we  observed  the  English 
man-of-war  Sampson  at  anchor,  *and  from  her  a 
boat  came  off  to  exchange  the  usual  compliments. 

As  we  entered  the  port  of  Kanagawa  we 
observed  building  everywhere  in  progress  on  the 
Yokohama  side.  After  we  came  to  anchor  a 
custom-house  boat  with  some  officials  came,  along- 
side. These  gentlemen  wore  swords,  and  were  in 
hakama  and  haori, — full  dress  in  Japan.  They  had 
come  to  ascertain  the  object  of  our  visit.  Our 
captain  received  them  in  the  cabin  and  informed 
them  that  we  were  from  Nagasaki,  and  that  we 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  2OI 


had  on  board  the  new  Minister  to  Japan,  and  the 
Consul  for  Kanagawa  who  had  came  to  open  the 
port  on  the  4th  of  July  as  stipulated  in  the  Treaty 
of  Yedo  of  1 858.  On  their  departure  the  following 
conversation  took  place  between  the  Minister  and 
the  Consul. 

"I  observe,  Harris,"  said  the  Consul,  "  that 
they  are  erecting  houses  on  the  flat  opposite  to 
Kanagawa.  I  suppose  the  Japanese  Government 
intend  this  for  a  second  Deshima,  but  of  cours£  we 
cannot  accept  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  the  Minister.  "  But 
that  will  be  a  battle  you  will  have  to  fight  since 
you  are  the  Consul  of  the  port." 

On  July  i  st  the  Governor,  Sakai  Oki  no  Kami 
came  on  board  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Minister 
and  the  Consul.  On  this  occasion  the  U.  S.  Minis- 
ter intimated  to  the  Governor  of  Kanagawa  that 
though  I  had  been  born  in  Japan,  I  Avas  now  a 
naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States.  He 
requested  that  I  should  be  treated  as  an  American 
citizen  and  the  Governor  made  a  note  of  his 
request.  And  ever  from'  that  hour  to  the  present  I 
have  been  treated  as  such  throughout  on  all 
occasions  by  the  authorities. 

In  the  afternoon  the  English  Consul-General 
(Alcock)  visited  Minister  Harris,  while  Consul  Vyse 
at  the  same  time  saw  our  Consul.  They  all  had  a 


2O2  THE   NARRATIVE 


long  interview  in  the  cabin,  but  we  did  not  know 
what  then  transpired,  although  we  surmised  that 
the  subject  of  their  deliberation  was  the  selection 
of  sites  for  the  Consulates  as  well  as  for  the 
Foreign  Settlement  of  the  port. 

July  ist.  The  Governor  of  Kanagawa  called 
on  our  Consul  to  discuss  the  selection  of  a  place 
of  residence  for  him.  The  Governor  said  that  he 
had  already  built  one  for  him  on  the  shore.  The 
Consul  asked  where  that  was,  when  the  Governor 
replied  on  Yokohama  (the  Cross  beach).  But  the 
Consul  said  he  wished  to  have  his  residence  in 
Kanagawa  and  not  in  Yokohama,  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  of  the  Treaty,  and  that  he  did  not 
care  to  look  at -the  one  already  erected.  He 
re'quested  the  Governor  to  furnish  him  with  a  few 
officials  to  go  and  inspect  the  Kanagawa  side  to 
silect  a  site  for  the  Consulate  to  suit  himself. 

On  the  following  morning^  the  Governor  sent 
two  officers  and  an  interpreter  to  go  with  the  Consul. 
They  went  ashore  about  9  o'clock,  selected  a  site 
and  returned  at  11.30  a.m.  The  selection  was 
close  to  the  ferry-landing,  the  Temple  of  Hongakuji 
beautifully  situated  on  a  little  plateau  in  a  cleft  of  the 
hills,  overlooking' the  Bay  and  Yokohama.  In  the 
afternoon  I  went  ashore  on  the  Yokohama  side 
together  with  the  officers  of  our  vessel  in  order,  to 

o 

assist  them  with  their  purchases.     When  we  landed 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  2O$ 


we  went  straight  to  the  Custom-house  where  we 
exchanged  our  dollars  for  native  coins.  Then 
we  started  for  the  native  town  which  was  just 
beginning  to  spring  up  on  the  rice-fields.  Some  of 
the  shops  we  entered  had  been  just  finished  ;  in 
others  sawing  and  hammering  and  planing  were 
still  in  full  swing.  We  noticed  that  the  plan  of  the 
nascent  Settlement  was  very  liberal  in  the  matter 
of  the  roadway  and  streets,  some  of  them  being 
twice  as  wide  as  these  of  the  usual  Japanese  town. 
We  already  found  shops  of  all  kinds,  some  devoted 
specially  to  Curios,  Lacquer  Ware,  and  Porcelain, 
and  others  to  general  merchandize. 

Over  on  the  other  side  of  the  flat,  where  it 
was  proposed  to  locate  the  Foreign  Settlement 
stood  Hommura,  an  insignificant  fishing-village 
with  the  houses  scattered  about'  in  an  expanse  of 
wheat-fields  and  vegetable  patches.  We  noticed 
one  or  two  blocks  of  new  buildings  ;  those  in  the 
centre  were  meant  as  residences  for  the  foreign 
Consuls,  those  on  the  outer  fringe  were  meant  for 
merchants  and  others.  Right  between  the  pro- 
posed Foreign  Settlement  and  die  Native  Town 
stood  the  Custom-house  and  the  Governor's  Office, 
while  in  the  rear  of  the  former  a  number  of  buildings 
were  already  occupied  as  places  of  residence  by 
the  native  officials. 

When  my  friends  the  officers  of  the  Mississippi 


THE   NARRATIVE 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  205 


came  to  pay  for  the  curios  they  bought  at  some 
of  the  shops,  they  were  astonished  to  find  how 
much  dearer  they  were  than  the  similar  goods 
they  had  bought  at  Nagasaki  and  Shimoda.  They 
asked  me  to  find  out  the  reason  of  this.  So  I 
inquired,  and  was  told  that  prices  had  not  advanced 
in  any  way,  but  that  the  coins  with  which  the 
officers  paid  for  their  purchases  were  different  from 
those  in  which  they  had  formerly  paid.  The  shop- 
men said  that  the  new  coin  was  larger  and  had 
more  silver  in  it,  and  was  worth  half  a  Mexican 
although  its  face  value  was  only  half  a  bit.  (There 
were  3  bits  of  the  6ld  coinage  in  a  Mexican.) 

When  I  explained  this  the  Purser  said  "  Oh  ! 
I  see  the  Japanese  Government  has  issued  a  new 
coinage  in  accordance  with  the  wording  of  the 
Treaty  that  '  gold  and  silver  shall  be  received  in 
exchange  weight  for  weight.'  ' 

We  bought  no  more  curios,  but  went  and  re- 
ported the  matter  to  the  U.  S.  Minister.  He  replied 
that  as  soon  as  he  went  up  to  Yedo  he  would  bring 
the  matter  before  the  Gorojiu  (Council  of  State) 
and  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  have  the 
matter  rectified,  until  which  time  he  advised  the 
officers  not  to  make  any  more  purchases  than  they 
could  help. 

jftdy  4th,  1859.  This  was  the  date  that  had 
been  fixed  for  us  to  land,  to  take  up  our  residence 


2O6  THE    NARRATIVE 


on  shore,  and  to  formally  open  the  port  for  trade. 
The  day  broke  very  fine,  and  at  any  early  hour  all 
the  masts  in  the  Bay  were  gay  with  bunting.  About 
ten  o'clock  we  landed  on  the  Kanagawa  side,  and 
walked  up  to  the  Temple  of  Hongakuji. 

In  the  Temple  Cemetery  was  a  large  tall  tree, 
and  to  the  topmost  branches  of  this  we  had  tied  a 
pole  to  serve  as  a  flagstaff.  A  little  before  noon 
the  U.  S.  Minister,  Mr.  Harris,  Consul  Dorr,  the 
Captain  and  th&  officers  of  the  Mississippi,  Van 
Reed  and  myself,  sallied  out  into  this  graveyard.  At 
1 2  o'clock  precisely  we  ran  up  the  American  colours 
on  this  flagstaff.  Then  we  opened  champagne, 
sang  the  Star-spangled  Banner,  and  drank  "To 
our  prosperity,  Long  may  the  Stars  and  the 
Stripes  wave ! "  This  was  the  first  time  in  the1 
annals  of  the  place  for  a  foreign  flag  to  be 
unfurled. 

Then  we  adjourned  to  the  Temple  for  our 
first  tiffin  in  Japan.  There,  were  present  the  U.  S. 
Minister,  Mr.  Harris,  Captain  Nicolson  and  his  flag 
Lieutenant,  two  doctors  from  the  Mississippi,  Van 
Reed  and  myself.  We  tiffined  on  'fish,  boiled 
chicken,  roast  duck,  vegetables,  sweets  and  wines, 
but  there  was  no  beef  nor  mutton,  for  neither  beef 
nor  mutton  was  to  be  had  for  either  love  or  money 
or  anything  else.  On  the  following  day  the  Minister 
went  up  to  Yedo  to  take  up  his  residence  there  in 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  2O7 


terms  of  the  Treaty.  He  took  up  his  quarters  in 
the  Temple  of  Zenfukuji  in  Azabu; 

Meanwhile  we  were  busy  ordering  suitable 
furniture  and  getting  servants.  All  the  business  in 
connection  with  this  had  to  be  transacted  through 
the  Government  Officials  at  Kanagawa,  for  the 
people  of  the  place  had  been  cautioned  by  the 
authorities  to  have  no,  direct  dealings  with  the 
foreigners. 

Our  mess  consisted  of  the  Consul,  the  Clerk, 
Van  Reed  and  myself.  The  Consul  had  brought  a 
Chinese  boy  and  a  Chinese  cook  with  him  from 
Shanghai.  We  also  hired  some  Japanese  servants, 
a  house-boy  at  8  bus,  watchman  at  10  bus,  assistant- 
boy  at  6  bits  and  assistant-cook  at  10  bus  per 
month.  On  the  2ist  the  Chinese  boy  ran  away, 
and  I  went  and  requested  the \native  authorities  to 
to  have  him  arrested.  They  complied  with  the 
request  and  brought  the  fugitive  back  to  the 
Consulate.  We  at  once  discharged  him  and  s.ent 
him  back  to  China.  Two  weeks  thereafter  the 
Chinese  cook  was  likewise  sent  away  and  thence- 
forth we  had  nothing  but  Japanese  servants. 

On  July  1 7th  I  received  orders  from  the  Con- 
sul to  purchase  cargo  for  Messrs.  Heard  &  Co.'s 
schooner  Wanderer,  the  Consul  being  age*nt  for 
that  firm  in  Kanagawa.  Van  Reed  and  I  went 
over  to  Yokohama,  and  in  about  a  week  we  had 


2O8  THE   NARRATIVE 


filled  the  schooner  with  a  miscellaneous  cargo  of 
rapeseed  oil,  vegetable  wax,  seaweed,  dried  cuttle- 
fish, awabi,  beche-de-mer,  etc.  I  found  great  diffi- 
culty in  making  payments  for  the  goods ,  owing  to 
the  unsettled  state  of  the  coinage,  and  a  lack  of 
confidence  on  the  part  of  the  dealers  in  either  the 
foreigners  or  the  coin  they  tendered.  At  last  I 
issued  P.N.s  payable  as  soon  as  the  rate  of  ex- 
change had  been  settled  by  the  authorities,  and 
with  the  Consular  seal  as  security.  The  dealers 
were  satisfied  with  this  arrangement. 


OF.  A   JAPANESE.  209 


XIX. 

July  2ist.  As  I  was  returning  from  the 
Mayor's  office  a  resident  of  Kanagawa  accosted  me 
with  the  information  that  my  brother  had  arrived  in 
Yedo,  and  having  learned  that  his  brother  (meaning 
me)  had  come  back  to  Kanagawa  from  America 
he  had  come  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  report. 
The  man  asked  me  whether  I  would  go  to  his 
house,  or  whether  he  should  bring  my  brother,  to 
the  Consulate.  I  thanked  him  and  -said  I  woulid  go 
to  his  house.  I  then  went  and  told  the  Consul  that 
my  brother  had  come  and  asked  his  leave  to  go  to 
see  him. 

"  By  all  means !  "  was  his  reply.  "  And  bring 
him  up  here  with  you." 

Full  of  excitement  I  hurried  down  to  the  house 
in  the  town  where  I  had  been  told  my  brother  was. 
I  recognized  my  brother  at  once,  for  being  a  grown 
man  before  the  time  I  was  cast  away  he  had  not 
changed  in  any  way.  But  with  me  it  was  other- 
wise. For  I  had  become  a  man  since  then,  and 
had  become  much  altered  in  dress,  manner,  and 


2 JO  THE   NARRATIVE 


appearance.  Consequently  my  brother  could  not 
recognize  me.  He  stood  there  piteously,  looking 
at  me  with  pain  and  doubt  in  his  face.  He  said 
never  a  word,  but  remained  staring  at  me  dumbly 
and  sorrowfully,  clearly  supposing  me  to  be  not 
his  brother. 

I  bowed  to  him  and  opened  the  conversation. 
I  asked  him  where  our  stepfather  was,  how  aunt 
so-and-so  did,  what  had  become  of  our  uncie  such- 
a-one,  and  if  our  good  neighbour  such  and  such 
was  still  alive  and  in  good  health.  These  questions 
seemed  at  last  to  convince  him  that  I  must  be  his 
brother  ;  else  how  could  I  "know  so  much  about  our 
towns-people,  let  alone  merely  knowing  their  names  ? 

At  last  a  glad  smile  began  to  spread  and 
play  over  his  face,  and  he  began  to  answer  each 
and  all  of  my  questions.  And  when  he  was 
fairly  persuaded  that  I  was  really  his  brother  he 
burst  out  crying,  and  the  great  tears  rolled  down 
his  cheeks  at  the  joy  of  our  meeting  again  after  ^.11 
the  years.  The  sight  of  this  moved  me  also  to 
weeping,  so  that  -neither  of  us  could  utter  a  word 
more. 

Just  then  the  host  and  his  wife  came  in  with 
tea  and  cakes,  and  then  we  dried  our  eyes  and 
resumed  our  talk.  Finally  we  made  an  end  of  it, 
and  then  I  conducted  him  to  the  Consulate  and  in- 
troduced him  to  Consul. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  211 


The  Consul  was  a  big,  well-made,  handsome 
man  standing  over  6ft.  2in.,  with  a  heavy,  gray  beard. 
He  advanced  in  a  somewhat  airy  maAier  to  shake 
hands  with  my  brother.  My  brother  was  afraid  of 
his  appearance,  and  the  large  hand  he  stretched 
out  to  him  and  the  way  in  which  he  stretched  it 
out.  He  turned  and  with  much  apprehension  whis- 
pered to  me : — 

"  What  is  he  going  to  do?" 

I  explained  to  him  that  in  America  it  was  the 
custom,  for  people  to  shake  hands  when  they  were 
introduced,  just  as  it  was  the  custom  among  us  to 
bow  on  a  similar  occasion. 

"That  is  very  funny!"  he  said. 

But  the  explanation  sufficed  to  put  him  at  ease, 
and  he  at  once  took  hold  of  the  Consul's  hand. 

After  this  the  Consul  ordered  the  boy  to 
bring  refreshments,  and  requested  me  to  bring 
out  the  illustrated  papers,  pictures,  and  photogra- 
phic views  he  had.  So  I  brought  them  and  showed 
them  to  my  brother,  and  explained  to  him  what 
each  of  them  represented.  This  seemed  to  ut- 
terly overpower  him  with  astonishment.  For 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  old  papers  and 
glass-bottles  which  my  shipwrecked  comrades  had 
brought  home  as  miyage,  this  was  the  first  time  in 
his  life  he  had  ever  seen  the  pictures  of  foreign 
things.  The  Consul  gave  him  some  foreign  coins, 


212  THE   NARRATIVE 


(silver  and  copper)  and  some  illustrated  news- 
papers to  take  home  with  him  as  curiosities,  and 
he  was  imm«isely  pleased  with  the  present. 

The  Consul  then  requested  me  to  ask  my 
brother  to  stay  a  few  days  at  the  Consulate.  But 
he  thanked  the  Consul,  and  said  that  he  had  come 
for  one  day  only  to  find  out  the  truth  of  the  rumour 
he  had  heard  in  Tokyo.  For  there  he  had  been 
told  by  some  that  I  was  from  the  Province  of  Hari- 
ma  and  his  own  brother,  while  others  had  said  that 
I  was  from  .Kishiu. 

"And  now,"  he  wound  up,  "that  I  have  found 
that  it  is  a  man  of  Harima  and  my  own  real  brother,. 
I  must  return  to  Shinagawa  by  to-morrow." 

Then  the  Consul  asked  him  to  stay  to  dinner 
and  he  consented.  At  dinner  before  touching  any 
dish  he  asked  me  what  it  was,  how  it  was  cooked, 
and  all  about  it.  Then  when  I  explained  he  would 
at  last  taste  it  cautiously  saying  "That  is  curious." 

When  he  left  fpr  Shinagawa,  I  gave  him  a 
likeness  of  myself  taken  in  company  with  Van  Reed 
in  San  Francisco  just  before  I  started  in  the  Cooper, 
The  picture  was  on  glass  and  was  called  ambrptype, 
My  brother  took  it  home  and  shewed  it  to  all  our 
relatives  and  friends  and  in  about  six  months  time 
the  news  of  it  spread  and  reached  the  ears  of  the 
authorities  in  Osaka.  My  brother  was  summoned 
by  them  to  appear  before  them  with  this  mysterious 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  21, 


-and  much-talked  of  picture.  So  he  went  and  for 
more  than  six  long  weeks  he  was  kept  at  his  hotel, 
doing  nothing  at  his  own  expense.  Then  he  was 
told  to  leave  the  ambrotype  there  and  to  return  to 
his  occupatipn.  About  six, months  afterwards  he 
was  again  sent  for  by  the  Governor  of  Osaka.  So 
he  went  up  a  second  time,  and  the  Governor  re- 
turned the  ambrotype  to  him,  charging  him  strictly 
to  shew  it  to  no  one  outside  the  limits  of  his  family. 
All  this  was  related  to  me  by  my  brother  at  a 
later  visit.  And  he  added  that  his  taking  home 
that  likeness  of  myself  and  the  foreigner  (Van 
Reed)  had  cost  him  many  rios. 


214  THE   NARRATIVE 


At  last  we  received  notice  fr.om  the  U.  S. 
Minister  that  the  difficulty  about  the  coinage  had 
been  adjusted,  and  that  the  Gorojiu  had  consented 
to  stop  the  new  issue  of  coins  and  resume  the  old 
standard  of  3  bus  to  the  Mexican  dollar.  On  the 
following  day  I  took  several  thousand  dollars  to 
the  Custom-hOuse  and  converted  them  into  "bu" 
with  which  I  redeemed  the  P.N.'s  I  had  given^to 
the  native  dealers  at  the  time  we  bought  the  cargo 
for  the  Wanderer. 

No  sooner  had  the  coinage  question  been 
settled  than  the  land  question  came  up.  The  Eng- 
lish, Dutch  and  American  Consuls  had  agreed 
among  themselves  that  Kanagawa  should  be  the 
site  of  the  Foreign  Settlement.  But  the  Foreign 
merchants  were  not  of  their  opinion  at  all.  For  at 
Kanagawa  the  water  was  shallow,  while  Yoko- 
hama afforded  much  better  facilities  for  shipping 
and  trade.  Besides  as  Kanagawa  was  on  the 
course  of  the  Tokaido,  the  great  public  highway, 
along  which  Daimios  trains  were  constantly  pass-. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  215 


ing,  the  native  authorities  were  also  anxious  that 
the  Foreign  Settlement  should  not  be  established 
there.  For  they  were  aware  that  many  of  the 
Dainrios  were  hostile  to  the  Shogun's  Govern- 
ment and  anxious  for  its  overthrow.  And  they 
knew  tliat  for  this  reason  many  of  the  Daimios 
retainers  called  ronin,  that  is  "wave  men,"  or 
outlaws,  would  surely  fall  upon  the  foreigners  with 
the  sole  idea  of  embroiling  the  supporters  of  the 
Shogunate  with  the  Foreign  Powers,  in  order  that 
they  themselves  might  have  a  better  chance  of 
raising  the  standard  of  rebellion  against  it. 

But  of  this  fact  the  Consuls  were  ignorant. 
They  fancied  that  in  endeavouring  to  locate  the 
Foreign  Settlement  on  the  Yokohama  side,  the 
Japanese  authorities  were  merely  trying  to  make  a 
second  Deshima,  (tjie  artificial  island  in  the  harbour 
of  Nagasaki  where  the  Dutchmen  had  been  cooped 
up  in  the  early  days  of  their  trade  and  intercourse 
with  Japan).  In  this  belief  they  all  strongly  insisted 
that  Kanagawa  should  be  the  site  of  the  future 
Foreign  Settlement  as  stipulated  in  the  Treaty  of 
1858.  . 

One'  day  the  U.  S.  Consul  and  I  waited  upon 
the  Governor  to  discuss  the  question.  The  Go- 
vernor (Hori-ori  binosho)  said  that  he  would  have 
no  objection  to  Kanagawa  whatsoever,  were  it  not 
on  account  of  the  highway  and  the  consequent 


2l6  THE    NARRATIVE 


difficulty  of  protecting  foreigners  from  the  assaults 
of  the  lawless  men  who  were  opposed  to  the 
Foreigners'  coming  into  the  country,  and  who 
would  certainly  do  all  in  their  power  to  injure 
them.  Besides,  he  said,  on  account  of  the  shallow 
water,  the  place  would  be  found  inconvenient  for 
shipping. 

To  this  the  Consul  replied  that  the  Goyernor 
must  be  aware  that  with  respect  to  the  Foreign 
Settlement,  it  was  stipulated  in  the  Treaty  of  1858 
that  Kanagawa  was  to  be  the  place  of  the  Foreign 
Settlement  and  that  nothing  was  said  about  Yoko- 
hama at  all.  The  Governor  answered  that  perhaps 
the  Consul  was  unaware  that  his  countryman  Perry 
who  made  the  Treaty  with  this  country  made  no 
distinction  between  Kanagawa  and  Yokohama. 

"For,"  went  in  the  Governor,  "when  he 
signed  that  Treaty  he  signed  it  right  under  those 
trees  by  the  boat  house  close  to  the  Custom-house, 
there,"  (here  he  pointed  to  the  Custom-house  over 
on  the  Yokohama  side)  "and  Yokohama  was  then, 
and  now  is,  nothing  more  than  the  side  beach  of 
Kanagawa.  It  is  not  a  distinct  place  at  all  but 
only  a  portion  of  Kanagawa." 

The  Consul  then  look  his  departure  saying 
that  he  would  investigate  this  matter  with  his  col- 
leagues. 

At  length,  however  Dr.  Hall  of  Walsh  &  Co. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  217 


was  found  bold  enough  to  back  the  merchants'  view 
of  die  case.  On  his  own  responsibility  he  procur- 
ed a  plot  of  land  on  the  Yokohama  side,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  establish  himself  here.  This  was  quite 
in  defiance  of  die  Consul's  view,  but  Ur.  Hall  was 
a  practical  man  and  saw  the  immense  advantages 
over  Kanagawa  possessed  by  Yokohama  in  facilities 
for  shipping.  The  land  he  occupied  is  now  known 
as  No.  2  Bund.  After  that  a  guest  of  Walsh  &  Co. 
secured  the  lot  next  to  No.  2,  now  known  as  No.  3, 
while  Jardine  and  Matheson  soon  after  selected 
No.  i,  and  Dent  &  Co.  Nos.  4  and  5. 

Thus  the  Consul's  notion  of  having  the  Settle- 
ment in  Kanagawa  had  to-  be  given  up.  For  no 
merchants  or  foreigners  would  settle  there,  with 
tne  exception  of  the  Consuls  themselves  and 
some  missionaries  who  came  later  on.  And 'even 
they  ultimately  shifted  over  to  Yokohama. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July  the  schooner  Fcnni- 
invrc  Cooper  arrived  from  her  cruise,  all  well  on 
board.  Capt.  Brooke  made  an  official  call  on  the 
Consul,  and  the  Consul  and  I  made  a  return  call 
next  day.  The  Consul  invited  Capt.  Brooke  to 
dinner  on  the  following  evening.  He  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  appeared  at  the  Consulate 
at  the  appointed  time  in  undress  uniform,  and 
wearing  a  sword.  At  the  dinner  a  peculiar  inci- 
dent occurred.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation 


2l8  THE   NARRATIVE 


the  Consul  asked  me  how  I  had  got  along  after  I 
left  the  protection  of  the  U.  S.  Government  at  San 
Francisco.  I  told  him  that  I  had  some  friends  on 
board  the  cutter  who  took  care  of  me.  He  then 
wished  to  know  who  was  the  commander  of  the 
cutter  and  I  answered  "that  unprincipled  man 

H ,"  or  words  to  that  effect.  Upon  this  the 

Consul  said: — 

"  Now,  Joseph,  don't  speak  of  that  Captain 
in  that  way.  He  is  my  friend,  and  if  you  dare  to 
repeat  such  words  at  my  table  again  I'll  kick  you 
out  through  that  door ! " 

I  replied  that  I  was  sorry  that  he  was  the 
Consul's  friend,  and  that  I  was  merely  expressing 
my  private  opinion  of  the  man  based  on  his  treat- 
m^nt  of  me  whilst  I  was.  on  board  his  vessel,  ancl 
asked  if  I  had  not  a  perfect  right  to  express  my 
opinion  of  a  man  who  had  decidedly  been  no  friend 
to  me. 

"  No,  you  have  not, — not  in  that  way  "  said 
the  Consul. 

At  this  point  my  friend  Capt.  Brooke  took 
the  matter  up.  "  Mr.  Consul"  he  remarked,  "you 
said  that  Capt.  H.  is  your  friend.  What  Mr. 
Heco  said  about  him  was  only  the  expression  of 
his  private  opinion.  Yet  you  say  that  if  Mr.  Heco 
repeats  such  language  again  you  will  kick  him  out 
through  that  door.  Now,  I  am  a  friend  of  Mr. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  2 1 9 


Heco's,  and  I  should  just  like  to  see  you  dare  to 
do  it." 

The  Consul  said  that  Capt.  Brooke  was  his 
guest  and  had  no  right  to  interfere  in  the  matter. 
Capt.  Brooke  replied  that  if  he  was  his  guest,  he 
(the  Consul)  had  no  right  to  use  such  language 
before  his  guest,  but  since  he  had  used  it  he  (Capt. 
Brooke)  had  a  perfect  right  to  interfere,  since  it 
had  been  addressed  to  a  friend  of  his.  While  this 
hot  discussion  was  in  progress  a  pig's  head  came 
on  the  table.  The  Consul  took  up  the  knife  and 
fork  and  began  to  carve.  And  as  he  did  so,  he 
said : — 

"  If  any  man  dares  to  interfere  with  my  busi- 
ness at  my  table,  I  should  just  like  to  shoot  him 
right  across  this  pig's  head ! " 

This  the  Captain  chose  to  regard  as  a  challenge. 
So  he  first  flushed  up,  and  then  he  grew  very  white 
and  very  stern  and  he  said  very  quietly,  but  at  the 
same  time  with  a  cold  hard  ring  in  his  tone : — 

"  General  D.,  I  accept  that  challenge.     Choose 
your  weapon  and  step  outside  ! " 

And  saying  sot  he  rose  from  the  table. 

At  this  point  Van  Reed  ^ot  up  and  stopped 
Capt.  Brooke  from  going  any  further,  and  tried  to 
smoothe  the  matter  over,  and  I  also  besought  the 
Captain  "  not  to  take  my  part  so  much  in  earnest." 
The  Consul  too  said  by  way  of  apology  that  he  did 


22O  THE   NARRATIVE 


not  mean  what  he  said  as  a  challenge  but  only  as  a 
joke,  and  that  he  did  not  care  to  fight  a  duel.  How- 
ever, he  said,  that  if  he  did,  he  had  no  weapons  in 
the  house.  Capt.  Brooke  at  once  retorted  that  he 
had  the  sword  he  wore  on  the  day  of  his  formal 
visit  to  the  Cooper,  and  that  besides  he  must  still 
have  the  Colt's  revolver  which  he  (Capt.  Brooke) 
had  given  him  at  his  request  for  the  protection  of 
the  Consulate.  Then  the  Consul  laughed  and  said 
he  did  not  know  how  to  use  either  of  them  and 
invited  us  all  to  "  have  a  drink."  And  this  ended 
the  matter. 

On  August  yth,  a  fierce  gale  blew  overnight 
and  the  Cooper  went  ashore  on  the  Yokohama 
beach.  All  hands  and  the  instruments  on  board 
were  saved.  On  the  2Oth  the  Consul  ordered  a 
survey  of  the  wrecked  schooner  in  order  to  deter- 
mine whether  if  repaired  she  would  be  sea-worthy 
or  not.  Her  hull  was  apparently  all  right,  but  we 
found  39  of  her  ribs  rotten,  and  other  parts  of  her 
also  in  bad  condition.  So  she  was  condemned  as 
unseaworthy  and  subsequently  sold  at  auction. 

On  August  2  ist,  the  Consul  and  \  were  invit- 
ed to  dinner  by  the  Governors  of  Kanagawa  (Sakai 
Oki  no  Kami,  and  Midzuno  Chikugo  no  Kami)  at 
their  office.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  were  enter- 
tained to  a  native  repast  of  a  first-class  order,  the 
sake  and  all  the  accessories  of  a  Japanese  banquet. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  221 


Meanwhile  the  Russian  fleet  under  Admiral 
Popoff  had  appeared  in  Yedo  Bay  and  had  anchor- 
ed at  Shinagawa.  One  day  they  sent  a  boat  with 
some  officers  and  men  to  Yokohama  for  fresh  pro- 
visions. On  their  way  back  to  their  boat  at  the 
jetty,  some  native  fell  upon  the  party  with  a  heavy 
sword,  and  killed  one  of  them  outright  and  wound- 
ed others  severely. 

News  of  this  was  communicated  to  the  Con- 
sulate by  the  native  authorities  about  six  o'clock. 
We  hastened  to  the  scene  and  found  that  the  dead 
man  and  the  wounded  had  been  taken  to  Captain 
Brooke's  temporary  quarters.  The  officer  (a  mid- 
shipman) had  been  killed  by  a  single  cut  from  be- 
hind. This  had  been  sufficient  to  finish  him  out- 
light,  and  no  wonder,  for  his  entrails  were  visible 
from  behind.  The  wounded  men  had  been  slightly 
cut  on  the  head  and  arms.  At  this  time  there  was 
no  foreign  practising  doctor  in  Yokohama,  so  Dr. 
Hall  of  Walsh  &  Co.  took  charge  of  the  case. 
After  the  deed  the  assassin  had  fled  and  escaped 
in  safety. 

Over-night  the  Russian  Admiral  came  down 
in  a  corvette.  The  native  authorities  actively  be- 
stirred themselves  to  find  and  arrest  the  murderer. 
And  in  the  foreign  community  of  Yokohama  there 
was  wild  excitement  and  alarm,  and  talk  of  nothing 
but  of  means  to  protect  the  Settlement. 


222  THE   NARRATIVE 


Then  the  dead  man  was  prepared  for  burial 
and  on  the  third  day  after  the  coming  down 
of  the  Russian  Admiral  the  funeral  took  place 
with  military  honours.  The  corvette  landed  her 
marines  and  all  the  Consuls  together  with  their 
staffs,  and  the  foreign  residents  attended.  And 
this  was  the  first  foreign  funeral  in  Yokohama.  It 
was  reported  at  the  time  that  the  Admiral  had  re- 
quested the  presence  of  the  Governors  at  the 
funeral,  and  that  the  Governors  had  replied  that 
they  would  be  glad  to  attend,  were  it  not  that  such 
a  thing  was  contrary  to  Japanese  custom  and  us- 
age. They  therefore  begged  to  be  excused,  offer- 
ing to  send  some  officers  to  represent  them.  The 
Admiral  told  him  that  they  certainly  must  attend 
the  ceremony  in  person,  and  that  no  excuse  could 
be  accepted. 

So  the  bid  custom  had  to  be  infringed  and  one 
of  the  Governors  attended  by  1 2  officers  had  to  ap- 
pear at  the  ceremony.  They  followed  the  cortege  at 
some  distance,  and  this  was  the  only  occasion  on 
which  the  Governor's  retainers  did  not  call  out  to 
the  populace  "  Down  on  your  Knees ! "  as  was  the 
wont  when  the  Governor  moved  abroad  in  the 
streets  and  highways  and  byeways  within  his 
jurisdiction.  It  was  said  by  the  natives  at  the  time 
that  the  Governor's  compliance  with  the  Admiral's 
demand  was  sorely  against  the  grain,  and  that  he 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  223 


went  to  the  funeral  against  his  will  and  against 
custom  so  that  his  Government  might  not  be  em- 
broiled with  the  Admiral's  country. 

On  the  following  day  Admiral  Popoft  with  his 
Flag  Lieutenant  called  at  our  Consulate  to  thank 
us  for  our  attendance  at  the  funeral.  In  the  course 
of  the  conversation  the  Consul  asked  the  Admiral 
whether  the  native  authorities  had  arrested  the  as- 
sassin. The  Admiral  said  that  they  had  not  as  yet 
done  so,  that  he  had  had  several  interviews  with 
the  Governors  of  Kanagawa,  but  there  had  been 
great  difficulty  in  their  understanding  each  other, 
by  reason  of  the  want  of  a  good  interpreter.  Upon 
this  the  Consul  proffered  my  services,  if  I  had  no 
objection  to  act.  I  said  I  had  none,  and  the 
Admiral  said  he  would  be  most  happy  to  avail  him- 
self of  our  offer,  and  would  arrange  an  interview 
with  the  Governors  of  Kanagawa  when  he  would 
take  the  liberty  of  sending  for  me. 

Two  days  later  he  sent  a  boat  with  an  officer 
to  fetch  me.  So  I  went  off  to  his  corvette  and  from 
thence  went  to  the  Governor's  office  in  Yokohama. 
Our  party  consisted  of  the  Admiral,  his  Flag  Lieut., 
a  young  interpreter  (who  spoke  English,  French 
and  a  little  Japanese)  and  myself.  We  were 
ushered  into  die  audience  room  where  we  seated 
ourselves.  We  were  there  only  a  few  minutes 
when  the  two  Governors  (Midzuno  Chikugo  no 


THE   NARRATIVE 


Kami  and  Sakai  Oki  no  Kami)  entered  followed  by 
their  subordinates  and  took  up  their  positions  as  in 
the  following  plan : — 


m 


\o]    M    VL\    IT 


T 

T 

T 

T 

A .  Admiral. 

8.  Self. 

L.  Flag  Lieutenant. 

I.R.  Interpreter. 

R  4  Reporters. 


Audience  Chamber. 

The  two  Governors,  the  Censor,  the  Vice- 
Governor  Treasurer,  Mayor  and  ordinary  officers 
seated  themselves  at  the  table  opposite  to  us,  while 
their  two  interpreters  stood  in  the  position  indicat- 
ed. Four  reporters,  with  papers,  books,  brush 
and  ink  squatted  on  the  mat  at  the  foot  of  the 
room. 

In- reply  to  the  Admiral's  questions  the  Go- 
vernor made  the  following  statement : — 

•  As  soon  as  the  Governors  had  learned  that 
foreigners  had  been  attacked  and  one  of  them  kill- 
ed by  some  unknown  native  in  the  streets  of  Yoko- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  225 


hama,  they  had  immediately  ordered  their-  officers 
to  arrest  the  assassin.  But  when  they  reached  the 
scene  they  found  that 'the  assassin  had  fled.  And 
though  ever  since  that  time  they  had  been  diligent- 
ly searching  for  die  culprit,  yet  he  could  not  be 
found.  However,  one  of  the  officers  of  the  search- 
ing party  had  found  the  following'  articles,  viz. ; — 
A  tin-box  half  broken  open,  close  to  Yoshida-bashi 
in  Yoshida-shinden ;  a  piece  of  a  broken  sword- 
blade  near  to  where  the  Russian  Midshipman  fell, 
and  a  torn  fragment  of  a  brown  camlet  Jiaori  or 
upper  garment.  In  the  tin-box  they  had  found 
several  coins. 

At  this  point  the  Governors  ordered  their 
subordinates  to  bring  in  these  articles  and  shew 
them  to  the  Admiral.  The  latter  examined  them, 
and  found  in  the  tin-box  mentioned  some  Russian 
silver  coins,  about  nine  or  ten  inches  of  a  broken 
sword-blade,  and  a  portion  of  a  camlet  "haori."  This 
latter  was  spotted  and  spatte reel  with  blood-stains. 

The  Admiral  then  inquired  whether  the  officers1 
were  still  exerting  themselves  to  find  and  arrest 
the  assassin  or  assassins.  The  Governors  replied 
that  they  certainly  were  doing  their  utmost  to  find 
them  and  bring  them  to  justice. 

This  finished  the  business  which  it  had  taken 
two  hours  to  transact.  At  the  end  of  it  we  were 
treated  to  a  native  tiffin. 


226 


THE   NARRATIVE 


In  another  day  or  two  Admiral  Popoff  sent  for 
me  to  come  on  board  his  vessel,  as  he  had  arrang- 
ed another  and  a  final  interview  with  the  Governors 
of  Kanagawa  before  his  departure  for  Yedo.  When 
I  arrived  there  I  found  one  of  the  Governors  with 
six  of  his  subordinate  officials. 

The  Admiral  stated  that  he  could  not  wait  any 
longer  in  Yokohama  and  before  he  proceeded  to 
Yedo  he  desired  to  learn  from  the  Governor 
whether  the  assassins  had  been  arrested,  or 
whether  any  clue  to  them  had  been  found.  To  this 
the  Governor  replied  that  they  had  been  doing 
their  utmost  to  find  a  clue,  but  that  up  to  then 
"they  had  been  rather  unfortunate  and  had  failed 
to  find  out  anything  about  them." 

At  i  p.m.  we  had  tiffin  in  the  cabin.  It  was 
served  in  regular  Russian  style  and  was  an 
utterly  new  experience  to  me.  They  had  plenty 
of  garlic  and  brown  bread  which  the  Admiral  re- 
commended to  me  as  very  healthy  fare,  and  told 
me  to  dp  justice  to  them.  But  not  being  used  to 
these  articles  I  rather  fought  shy  of  them,  and  paid 
attention  to  the  other  dishes  which  were  really 
excellent. 

About  3  p.m:  the  Governor  and  his  suite  went 
on  shore.  The  Admiral  then  asked  me  to  come  on 
deck.  I  went  and  we  talked  as  we  walked  to  and 
fro.  He  asked  me  whether  I  fancied  the  Japanese 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  227 


authorities  were  earnest  in  their  endeavours  to  find 
and  arrest  the  assassins.  I  said  I  really  thought 
they  were,  and  he  said  he  was  inclined  to  be  of  my 
opinion  from  the  serious  manner  the  Governors 
seemed  to  speak  of  the  case.  At  this  point  the 
Admiral  linked  his  arm  in  mine  and  said  some- 
thing .to  the  folio  wing -effect: — 

"  Now  Mr.  Heco,  you  have  been  of  great 
service  to  us,  and  I  wish  to  recompense  you  in 
some  way.  What  would  you  wish  ?  Please  name 
it,  and  if  it  is  in  my  power,  I  will  do  it  with  the 
greatest  pleasure.  For  if  it  had  not  been  for  you 
I  could  not  have  found  out  so  much  as  I  have  from 
the  Governor  of  Kanagawa." 

J  said  I  did  not  wish  anything  as  the  services 
I  had  rendered  were  so  very  slight.  But  the 
Admiral  said : — 

"  That  will  never  do ;  but  we'll  see." 

Shortly  after  this  I  bade  the  Admiral  good-bye 
and  came  on  shore.  On  the  following  day  I  went 
out  with  the  U.  S.  Consul  and  the  Governor  of 
Kanagawa  to  select  and  survey  the  lands  intended 
for  American  residents  on  the  Kanagawa  side.  In 
our  absence  Admiral  Popoff  called  at  the  Consulate 
to  say  sayonara.  He  left  a  gold  watch  with  Van 
Reed  for  me,  with  a  message  to  the  effect  that  the 
watch  had  been  worn  by  him  for  some  time,  and 
that  he  wished  me  to  accept  it  as  a  slight  token  of 


228  THE   NARRATIVE 


his  recognition  of  the  services  I  had  lately  render- 
ed him. 

When  we  came  back  from  the  survey,  and 
while  we,  (i.e.  the  Governor,  two  of  his  officers,  the 
.Consul  and  myself)  were  seated  at  table  taking- 
tea,  Clerk  Van  Reed  brought  in  this  watch  for  me/ 
The  Consul  looked  at  it  and  handed  it  to  the  Go- 
vernor and  asked  me  to  tell  him  that  the  Russian 
Admiral  had  presented  it  to  me  on  the  occasion  of 
my  interpreting  for  him.  The  Governor  then  said 
that  Jiis  Government  was  also  under  obligation  to 
me  and  that  he  intended  to  present  me  with  some- 
thing by  and  by. 

Some  days  after  Admiral  Popoff  had  reached 
Yedo  it  was  said  that  he  had  presented  three  de- 
mands to  the  Shogun's  Government  through  the 
Gorojiu.  These  were. 

i  st.  To  remove  the  Governors  of  Kanagawa 
for  their  neglect  in  not  arresting  the  assassins  at 
the  time  the  attack  was  made. 

2nd.  To  cede  one  half  of  the  Island  of  Sagha- 
lien  to  Russia,  as  an  indemnity  for  the  carelessness 
of  the  Shogun's  Government  on  the  above  occasion. 

3rd.  To  spare  nd  time  or  efforts  or  money  to 
find,  arrest  and  punish  the  assassin  or  assassins, 
and  to  notify  the  Russian  authorities  of  the  arrest 
as  soon  as  made. 

Whether  the  rumour  was  correct  or  not  I  can- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  229 


not  say.  Only  judging  from  what  followed  the 
first  demand  would  certainly  seem  to  have  been 
made.  In  about  a  week's  time  Mizuno  and  Sakai 
disappeared  from  Yokohama  and  were  never  seen 
there  again.  A  new  Governor,  Shimmei  Buzen  no 
Kami  by  name  took  their  places  and  held  the  post 
till  he  was  sent  to  America  as  first  Japanese  Am- 
bassador in  1860. 


230  THE   NARRATIVE 


XXI. 

In  the  month  of  September  'the  Consul  sent 
me  to  order  some  crepe  and  silk  for  him.  A  man 
called  Saikaya,  a  silk-dealer  well  known  in  the  town, 
brought  the  samples  to  the  Consulate.  He  had 
heard  of  my  history,  and  shewed  a  great  wish  to 
talk  with  me  about  what  I  had  seen,  and  he  and  I 
became  firm  friends.  In  the  course  of  one  of  our 
conversations  I  happened  to  say  that  though  I 
took  a  cold  bath  daily,  yet  I  should  like  exceedingly 
to  have  a  hot  one,  but  that  was  still  impossible 
since  our  hot-bath  had  not  yet  been  fitted  up.  He 
at  once  said  that  he  ,had  a  big  one  at  his  house, 
and  that  he  would  be  delighted  to  have  a  bath  pre- 
pared for  me  whenever  I  wished.  So  I  at  once 
took  him  at  his  word  and  asked  him  to  prepare 
one  for  me  next  afternoon. 

Next  day  about  two  o'clock  he  sent  his  son,  a 
boy  about  1 5  years  old,  to  say  that"  the  bath  was 
ready.  I  went  down  at  once.  When  I  arrived  I 
found  an  official  of  the  local  Government  with  his 
servant  in  my  friend's  reception  room  with  tea  and 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  23! 


cakes  before  them.  I  happened  to  know  the  offi- 
cial ;  so  I  saluted  him  and  asked  him  what  he  was 
doing  there.  He  smiled  and  said  he  was  there  be- 
cause he  had  heard  that  I  was  coming  to  take  a 
bath,  and  that  he  had  been  directed  by  the  Mayor  of 
Kanagawa  to  guard  and  protect  my  person  and  to- 
see  that  I  came  by  no  harm.  He  said  that  person- 
ally he  thought  that  sort  of  thing  extremely  ridicu- 
lous, since  they  knew  tliat  I  was  born  in  the  coun- 
try, although  I  claimed  to  be  an  American;  but 
that  such  was  the  custom  and  regulation  then  in 
force. 

During  this  month  of  September,  merchants 
and  traders  from  China  ports  and  elsewhere  began 
to  flock  into  Kanagawa,  and  in  consequence  the 
Settlement  of  Yokohama  began  to  gather  dimen- 
sions apace,  and  trade  became  brisker  and  brisker 
day  by  day.  - 

September  ////.  The  Consul  gave  his  first 
dinner  to  die  Governors  of  Kanagawa  and  their 
officers  to  the  number  of  seven  at  our  Consulate. 
The  guests  seemed  to  relish  the  foreign  cookery ; 
in  fact  judging  from  their  gestures  of  approval  they 
enjoyed  it  amazingly. 

A  feu-  days  afterward  the  Governor  of  Kana- 
gawa invited  the  Consul  and  myself  to  dinner  at 
Noge-hill.  We  accepted  and  immediately  began 
to  prepare  for  the  event.  On  account  of  his  size, 


232  THE    NARRATIVE 


it  was  not  possible  for  the  Consul  to  find  a  Japanese 
norimono  that  would  hold  him ;  they  were  all  too 
small.  So  he  caused  a  huge  one  to  be  specially 
built  for  him.  After  some  difficulty  he  got  into 
this,  and  with  still  more  difficulty  he  was  safely 
hoisted  Chinese-fashion  upon  the  shoulders  of  six 
sturdy  coolies.  Then  I  got  on  horseback  attended 
by  my  betto,  while  the  Consul's  "boy"  and  the 
other  two  servants  acted  as  our  body-guard.  The 
three  servants  were  made  to  wear  a  sword  each 
which  the  Consul  had  purchased  expressly  for  the 
occasion.  But  the  Consul's  "boy''  Kenzo  at  first 
refused  to  wear  one,  being  mightily  afraid  of  cutting 
himself.  But  the  Consul  said  that  every  man  must 
do  his  duty  and  that  "  he  must  wear  that  sword 
and  no  mistake  about  it."  So  the  boy  carefully 
picked  out  the  smallest  and  shortest  of  the  three 
blades  and  stuck  it  in  his  girdle.  But  I  could  see 
that  it  made  him  uncomfortable,  for  he  walked 
along  with  much  shaking  and  loosening  of  the 
knees. 

Then  the  procession  started.  It  was  a  grand 
and  overpowering  affair,  and  all  the  people  of  the 
town  came  crowding  out  to  gaze  upon  us  as  we 
passed.  Ahead  of  the  Consul  in  his  monster-sized 
norimono  went  the  dauntless  Kenzo,  while  his  two 
fellow-servants  walked  on  each  side  of  the  Consul 
to  protect  his  valuable  life  from  casual  assaults. 


'OF   A   JAPANESE.  233 


I  rode  on  horseback  in  his  rear,  while  my  betto 
came  behind  me  as  whipper-in  to  the  procession. 

And  thus  in  this  array  we  fared  along  die 
Tokaido,  and  then  turned  to  the  left  to  the  Yoko- 
hama Causeway  and  at  last  we  came  to  Noge-hill, 
the  residence  of  the  Governor.  And  all  along  the 
road  the  people  crowded  to  see  us  pass  in  unfeigned 
amazement  and  respect  (?). 

When  we  reached  the  gate  the  officials  of  the 
Governor  were  there  to  receive  us.  They  bowed 
low  and  led  us  into  the  courtyard.  There  the 
Consul  and  I  dismounted,  and  once  more  the  offi- 
cials bowed  low  before  us  and  conducted  u's  into 
the  reception  room,  where  we  found  the  Governor 
and  his  staff.  Then  took  place  the  usual  long  and 
formal  greeting  of  each  other,  and  at  last  when  the 
ceremonies  of  salutation  were  finally  done  and 
ended,  cups  of  tea  were  set  before  us. 

Presently  dinner  was  announced  and  we  were 
solemnly  ushered  into  another  room.  Here  we 
found  a  European  table  set  out,  an  exact  fac-simile 
of  the  one  in  our  Consulate.  Only  instead  of 
plates,  the  dinner  was  served  on  Japanese  tables 
or  trays,  one  placed  before  each  guest  on  the  main 
table.  The  fare  consisted  of  raw  fish,  soup,  fish 
cooked  and  broiled,  fowls  and  eggs.  The  atten- 
dants were  males,  arrayed  in  all  the  glory  of  haori 
and  hakama.  This  dinner  was  a  grand  and  great 


234  THE   NARRATIVE 


function  and  we  enjoyed  it  heartily.  It  was  the 
first  dinner  ever  given  to  foreigners  at  the  Go- 
vernor's residence. 

In  the  course  of  this  month  the  trade  in  ko- 
ban  and  native  swords  became  unusually  brisk. 
And  about  this  time,  it  seemed  good  to  the 
Government  at  Yedo  to  issue  a  notice  to  the 
effect  that  this  traffic  must  cease,  and  that  any 
native  detected  in  selling  koban  or  swords  to  for- 
eigners from  this  time,  henceforth  would  be  severely 
punished. 

But  notwithstanding,  this  very  trade  went  on 
flourishing  apace.  Overnight  the  native  dealers 
would  come  to  the  foreign  quarters  with  stores  of 
koban  concealed  in  the  folds  of  their  garments. 
For  the  profits  they  made  by  selling  them  were 
immense,  while  such  foreigners  as  were  lucky 
enough  to  secure  these  coins  also  did  a  good  deal 
more  than  a  very  good  thing.  For  the  koban 
could  be  got  for  6^  to  7^  bu  each,  that  is 
for  from  $2.17  to  $2.73  at  the  rate  of  3  bu  to  the 
dollar,  while  it  was  sold  in  China  for  from  $3.50  to 
$3.85,  and  when  sold  as  a  curio  it  fetched  as  much 

7r  \J  *J  ' 

as  $5  or  $7.  Swords  too  costing  3,  4,  or  10  bit 
each  could  be  sold  'as  curios  for  from  $10  to  $20, 
if  sent  out  of  the  country.  But  on  account  of  their 
bulk  it  was  more  difficult  to  bring  them  to  market, 
and  the  law  was  very  severe  on  the  vendor  if 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  235 


caught,  at  it  regarded  the  selling  of  weapons  of  war 
to  foreigners  as  a  weighty  offence. 

In  the  beginning  of  October  the  barque  On- 
ward came  in  from  San  Francisco  with  several 
passengers  among  whom  was  a  Mr.  K.  He 
brought  a  letter  of  introduction  from  my  old  friend 
and  first  employer  Mr.  T.  G.  Gary  of  California. 
In  the  course  of  die  Onsvard's  stay  for  procuring 
cargo,  Mr.  K.  and  myself  had  some  conversation 
on  matters  of  business.  He  advised  me  to  leave 
the  Consulate  a"nd  enter  into  commerce,  saying  that 
if  I  cared  to  enter  into  partnership  with  him  he 
would  furnish  all  the  necessary  capital.  He  said 
he  knew  many  wealthy  men  in  San  Francisco  from 
whom  he  could  get  money  and  business.  With 
my  knowledge  of  the  language  we  could  make  a 
fortune  in  a  very  short  time. 

About  two  days  before  he  leit  he  drew  -up  a 
memorandum  of  partnership  in  which  it  was  stip- 
ulated that  if  I  joined  him  he  was  to  furnish  all  the 
capital  and  fittings  for  house  and  office,  while  I 
should  give  my  services  only,  all  profits  to  be 
equally  divided  between  us.  This  looked  to  me  a 
very  advantageous  offer,  as  my  salary  at  that  time 
was  small,  and  my  term  of  engagement  with  the 
Consul  not  fixed.  So  I  closed  with  Mr.  K.'s  pro- 
posal and  we  both  signed  the  document.  He  pro- 
mised to  return  in  the  March  of  the  following  year, 


THE    NARRATIVE 


and  then  I  was  to  join  him  in  opening  a  house  in 
Yokohama. 

In  the  course  of  this  month  another  foreigrter 
was  killed  at  the  native  jetty  in  Yokohama.  This 
time  it  was  a  Chinaman,  a  .shipping,  coolie  in  the 
employment  of  Dent  &  Co.  This  assassin  also 
fled  and  escaped  and  has  never  been  discovered  or 
arrested  even  unto  this  day. 

Jamiary  1860.  Our  Minister  had  arranged 
with  the  Japanese  authorities  that  they  should  send 
an  Embassy  to  America,  and  that  the  said  Embassy 
should  be  conveyed  there  and  back  at  the  expense 
of  the  U.  S.  Government.  In  consequence  the 
U.  S.  Government  had  sent  a  supply  of  coal  for 
the  vessel  that  was  to  carry  the  Ambassadors,  and 
the  Japanese  had  sent  down  an  old  hulk — the  Yak- 
kai-maru—\.o>  store  it  in  against  the  arrival  of  the 
U.  S.  ship.  Van  Reed  was  ordered  to  go  and 
superintend  the  transference  and  storage  of  this 
coal. 

Shortly  after  the  year  set  in,  Dan,  one  of  my 
shipwrecked  comrades  who  had  been  engaged  with 
the  British  Consul-General,  had  been  cut  down  at 
Takanawa,  in  the  midst  of  the  highway  in  open 
daylight.  He  was  helping  some  boys  to  fly  their 
kites  in  the  street  about  4  p.m.  Suddenly  a  man, 
with  a  great  broad  straw-hat  down  over  his  face 
came  behind  him,  plunged  a  cruelly-sharp  dirk  into 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  237 


Dan's  back,  twisted  it  round  in  the  wound  to  "  mak 
siccar,"  and  ran  off.like  a  deer,  Dan  shouted  for 
help  and  staggered  into  the  gate  of  the  Consulate. 
After  a  few  paces  he  fell  with  the  blood  pouring 
from  him  in  streams,  and  in  a  few  minutes  life  had 
left  him.  The  Consul-General  and  his  staff  did  all 
they  could  for  him,  but  to  no  purpose.  And  as  for 
this  assassin,  he  also  fled  and  escaped,  and  has  never 
been  discovered  or  arrested  even  unto  this  day. 

After  this  occurrence,  it  was  reported  that 
about  a  week  before  the  Governors  of  Foreign 
Affair?  had  gone  to  the  British  Legation  and  re- 
quested the  Minister  to  allow  Dan  to  go  to  the 
Kanagawa  Consulate  for  a  few  months  as  the  Go- 
vernment were  afraid  lest  some  mishap  might  be- 
fell him.  This  the  Consul-General  had  regarded  in 
the  light  of  an  ordinary  Japanese  threat,  and  accord- 
ingly he  told  the  native  authorities  that  Dan  was 
an  employe  of  the  Legation  and  under  the  British 
Flag,  and  that  he  (the  Consul-Generat)  would  see 
to  it  that  he  was  protected. 

In  the  latter  part  of  January  there  came  into 
port  the  V.  S.  ship  Pmuhatan,  which  was  to  convey 
the  Embassy  to  America.  The  native  steamer 
Kdnriu-maru  of  the  Shogun's  Government  'also 
anchored  in  the  port.  She  was  to  accompany  the 
Embassy  as  far  as  San  Francisco.  Captain  J.  M. 
Brooke,  late  of  the  Fennimore  Cooper,  offered  his 


238  THE   NARRATIVE 


services  to  pilot  the  Kanriu  as  far  as  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  his  offer  was  gratefully  accepted.  I 
went  with  Captain  Brooke  to  arrange  the  matter 
through  the  Governors  of  Kanagawa  and  of  For- 
eign Affairs. 

Febniary  2nd.  Capt.  Brooke  requested  me 
to  accompany  him  to  the  Governor  of  Kanagawa 
to  deliver  up  his  good  and  faithful  servant  "Tim," 
whom  at  my  request  he  had  shipped  at  Honolulu 
and  brought  home  to  his  country.  So  I  went  with 
the  Captain,  taking  Tim  with  us,  and  a  bag  of 
money  to  the  amount  of  $230,  the  accumulated 
wages  which  Capt.  Brooke  had  allowed  him  for  his 
services.  When  we  arrived  at  the  Governor's 
office  Capt.  Brooke  opened  the  interview  by  stating 
that  he  had  come  to  deliver  the  man  "Tim "  whom 
he  had  »fo.und  at  Honolulu  and  brought  back  to 
Japan. 

"  He  is  a  faithful  and  obedient  servant"  said 
Capt.  Brooke,  "  and  has  worked  most  willingly." 

He  then  handed  over  the  bag  with  the  Mexi- 
can dollars,  and  requested  the  Governor  to  have 
them  exchanged  for  native  currency,  and  handed 
to  the  man.  The  Governor  said  he  would  do  so 
with  pleasure,  and  thanked  Capt.  Brooke  for  taking 
such  good  care  of  a  Japanese  subject,  and  bringing 
him  safely  home. 

We  afterwards  learned  that  Tim  was  kept  for 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  239 


a  few  days  at  Kanagawa  under  the  care  of  the 
Governor.  Then  he  was  escorted  to  Yedo  by  two 
subordinate  officials  of  the  Governor,  and  there 
delivered  to  the  Daimio  of  his  native  Province  (Awa). 
He  was  by  -his  authority  subjected  to  an  examina- 
tion as  to  how  and  when  he  had  left  Japan,  and 
where  he  had  been.  About  two  months  after  this, 
his  Daimio  made  him  a  Fucki-nin,  allowing  him  to 
wear  two  swords,  and  gave  him  a  daily  allowance 
of  rice  and  sent  him  home  to  his  province.  And  in 
this  position  he  continued  until  after  the  Revolution  of 
1868,  when  his  allowance  was  stopped  by  the  new 
Government. 

February- $th.  I  was  requested  by  the  Go- 
vernor of  Kanagawa  to  ask  Capt.  Brooke  to  call 
at  his  office  next  day,  and  to  accompany  him  there 
myself.  When  we  went,  the  Governor  said  that  the 
Shogun's  Government  had  sent  down  some  presents 
to  Capt.  Brooke,  as  a  token  of  their  appreciation 
of  the  offer  of  his  services  to  pilot  the  Kanriu- 
maru  to  San  Francisco,  and  that  he  now  wished  to 
hand  them  over  to  him.  So  saying  he  produced  a 
white  wooden  tray  on  a  stand,  and  on  it  a  .sword- 
blade  in  a  white  scabbard,  and  five  pieces  of  em- 
broidered silk. 

On  February  1 3th  the  Japanese  Embassy  went 
on  board  the  Powhatdn.  It  consisted  of  two  Chief 
Ambassadors,  Shimmei  Buzen  no  Kami  and  Mufa- 


240  THE   NARRATIVE 


gaki,  Awaji  no  Kami,  the  Censor  Oguri,  Bungo  no 
Kami,  and  about  15  under-officials,  and  Inter- 
preters. With  the  servants  attached  to  it  the 
Embassy  consisted  of  72  persons  in  all. 

When  the,  Embassy  went  on  board  I  was  ask- 
ed by  the  U.  S.  Consul  to  go  and  assist  in  inter- 
preting, -and  I  did  so.  Afterwards  I  went  on  board 
the  Kanriu-maru  to  say  sayonara  to  Capt.  Brooke. 
Here  I  was  introduced  to  the  Governor  of  the 
Navy,  Kimura,  Settsu  no  Kami,  to  Capt.  Ka'tsu, 
officer  Nakahama  and  others. 

Perhaps  this  was  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  Tokugawas  that  they,  had  despatched  an 
Embassy  to  Western  countries. 

At  the  close  of  February  I  quitted  the  Con- 
sular service.  But  I  agreed  to  act  as  Consul's 
Interpreter  without  remuneration  whenever  my 
services  might  he  required,  as  a  small  return  for 
.all  the  kindness  I  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
Americans  during  my  sojourn  in  their  country. 
And  I  continued  to  interpret  until  I  left  for  America 
in  the  latter  part  of  1861. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  .  24! 


XXII. 

On  leaving  the  Consulate,  I  started  business 
as  a  General  Commission  Agent  in  Yokohama, 
pending  the  arrival  of  my  partner  from  California. 

On  March  loth  the  barque  What  Cheer  came 
in  from  San  Francisco  with  my  partner,  and  Mr.'E.'S. 
Benson,  and  a  few  other  passengers  on  board.  She 
had  $10,000  in  treasure,  but  no  cargo.  The  vessel 
and  the  treasure  were  consigned  to  our  new  firm. 
When  I  went  on  board,  my  partner  told  me  that  the 
vessel  had  been  chartered  by  his  friends  Messrs. 
P.  &  B.  of  San  Francisco  at  his  suggestion,  and 
that  the  vessel  and  the  $10,000  he  had  brought  as 
"  starter  "  of  our  business  were  alike  under  his  sole 
control.  He  also  brought  all  the  necessary  fur- 
niture and  fittings  for  our  house  and  office.  But 
beyond  this  there  was  nothing,  and  inasmuch  as  the 
$10,000  had  to  be  invested  in  merchandize  to  be 
sent  back  on  the  barque,  there  was  no.  great 
abundance  of  the  wherewithal  to  conduct  our  opera- 
tions. When  K.  landed  he  had  not  a  dollar  to  his 
name,  and  I  had  to  advance  the  sum  necessary  for 


242  THE   NARRATIVE 


preparing  the  office,  for  rent,  and  generally  for 
carrying  on  the  business.  A  few  days  afterwards 
I  rented  a  house  attached  to  the  Custom-house  and 
there  we  started  business,  and  some  little  time  later 

9 

on  I  removed  from  Kanagawa  to  Yokohama. 

We  found  it  difficult  to  buy  cargo  for  the 
What  Cheer  at  once,  owing  to  the  depreciation  of 
the  dollar.  The  native  dealers  would  not  accept 
the  foreign  dollars  at  the  Government  rate,  while 
the  Government  Mint  at  Yedo  was  totally  un- 
able to  coin  sufficient  for  foreign  exchange.  To 
get  our  $io,opo  turned  into  Japanese  money  at  the 
Custom-house  would  take  about  two  months,  as 
there  was-  a  limitation  to  the  daily  amount  that 
might  be  exchanged  there. 

So  until  these  $10,000  could  be  converted  into 
native  currency,  we  advertised  for  freight  for  Hong- 
kong, and  sent  the  Wfiat  Cheer  there  with  a  full 
cargo.  After  we  had  despatched  her  we  went  on 
exchanging  our  dollars  day  by  day.  But  the  process 
was  so  slow  that  by  the  return  of  our  vessel  we 
calculated  that  we  should  have  barely  half  the 
amount  of  our  money  converted  into  bu.  So  one 
day  I  requested  the  native  authorities  at  the 
Custom-house  to  grant  me  the  exchange  of,  say 
$5,000,  at  once  as  a  special  favour.  To  this  the 
Vice-Gover.nor,  Shibata  Sadataro,  replied  by  letter 
that  he  could  not  grant  any  such  favour  to  a  for- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  243 


signer,  inasmuch  as  it  would  establish  a  precedent. 
However  since  the  Government  had  for  long  wish- 
ed to  make  me  some  recognition  of  the  services  I 
had  rendered  them  in  connection  with- the  Russian 
Affair,  they  would  grant  me  the  immediate  ex- 
change of  $2,500.  This  helped  us  greatly;  in  the 
required  time  we  had  bought  'cargo  for  the  vessel, 
and  when  she  returned  from  Hongkong  we  loaded 
her  and  sent  her  back  to  San  Francisco,,  to  the 
complete  satisfaction  of  the  people  at  that  end. 
But  I  lost  all  my  profit  on  the  exchange. 

March  251/1,  1860.  The  day  was  dark  and  it 
was  snowing  furiously.  I  was  in  bed  at  Kanagawa, 
unwell,  with  no  intention  of  getting  up  and  ventur- 
ing abroad  in  such  a  snow-fall.  About  1 1  o'clock 
I  got  a  note  from  the  Consulate,  requesting  me  to 
come  to  the  Consulate  at  once  without  delay,  inas- 
much as  a  despatch  had  just  been  received  saying 
that  the  Prince  Regent,  li  Kamon  no  Kami,  had 
been  assassinated  in  the  Streets  of  Yedo,  while  on 
the  way  to  the  Castle.  I  at  once  hurried  to  the 
Consulate,  where  the  Consul  gave  me  the  Mini- 
ster's despatch  to  read. 

When  this  occurrence  became  known  there 
was  great  excitement  and  alarm  among  foreign  re- 
sidents, while  all  sorts  of  rumours  were  passing 
from  mouth  to  mouth  among  the  natives.  The 
latter  seemed  to  be  overpowered  and  stricken  help- 


244  THE   NARRATIVE 


less  at  the  idea  of  the  Regent.of  the  Empire  . 
struck  down  in  the  midst  of  his  four  hundred  re- 
tainers by  a  few  desperate  outlawed  men.  It  was 
reported  that  the  Government  at  Yedo  had  noti- 
fied to  all  the  Foreign  Representatives  that  the 
Prince  Regent  had  been  attacked  by  roams,  but  that 
his  wounds  were  slight  and  that  his  life  was  in  no 
danger.  And  it  was  said  that  on  account  of  this 
intimation  the  British  Minister  (who  had  been  a 
military  or  naval  doctor)  had  offered  his  services  to 
attend  on  the  Prince,  if  the  Yedo  Government  so 
desired.  And  that  the  Shogun's  Government 
thanked  him  for  his  offer  but  declined  it,  saying 
that  the  Prince  Regent  was  progressing  favourably. 
Notwithstanding  this  statement  on  the  part  of  the 
Japanese  authorities,  about  two  weeks  later  they 
had  to  intimate  to  the  Foreign  Representatives 
that  the  Regent  had  died  from  wounds  received  at 
the  hands  of  assassins.  The  fact  of  the  case  how- 
ever was  that  the  Prince's  head  had  been  shorn 
from  his  shoulders  by  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Dcd- 
mios  of  Mito  at  the  time  of  the  attack.  For  the 
occurrence  had  been  witnessed  by  many  natives 
wfro  had  happened  to  be  on  the  scene  at  the  time. 
Owing  to  this  mishap  to  the  Prince  the  reve- 
nues of  his  successor  were  reduced  from  350,000 
koku  to  240,000  koku,  as  a  punishment  for  the  head 
of  the  house  neglecting  to  guard  himself  proper- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  245 


ly  against  any  such  attack.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, such  a  punishment  was  customarily  inflicted. 

The  cause  of  the  occurrence,  I  was  informed 
at  the  time  from  an  authentic  native  source,  was  as 
follows  :< — 

Under  the  Government  of  the  Shogun  the 
Daimio  were  classified  as  Kokushiit,  Tozama,  and 
Fudcd,  together  with  the  royal  houses  of  the  Sanke 
and  Sankio.  The  Sanke  were  the  Daimio  of  Kii, 
Owari  and  Mito,  the  Sankio  being  Shimidzu,  Ta- 
yasu,  and  Hitotsubashi. 

Of  the  Sanke,  Kii  and  Owari  were  eligible  for 
the  Shogunate,  when  there  was  no  heir  of  the 
direct  line  of  the  Shoguns.  Now  the  house  of 
Mito  was  ineligible  for  that  position,  although 
during  the  minority  of  the  Shogun  the  Vice-Shogu- 
nate  was  always  open  to  it  if  no  Regent  were  ap- 
pointed. Even  in  the  case  of  a  Regent  being 
named,  Mito  always  acted  conjointly  with  him. 

Now  at  this  time  the  Daimio  of  Mito  was  a 
very  ambitious  man  and  anxious  above  all  things 
to  become  Shogun.  But  he  could  not  become 
Shogun  openly  and  legally.  But  at  this  time  there 
was  no  heir  in  the  house  of  Hitotsubashi,  so  he  got 
his  seventh  son  adopted  into  that  house  with  a  view 
to  placing  the  same  at  the  helm  of  the  State  at 
some  future  date.  And  should  the  young  Hitotsu- 
-bashi  become  Shogun,  the  old  Daimio  of  Mito 


246  THE   NARRATIVE 


would  then  be  Vice-Shogun,   and  would  so  wield 
the  sway  of  the  whole  Empire  with  his  own*  hands. 

At  this  time  the  reigning  Shogun  lyesada  was 
quite  young  and  old  Mito  was  his  guardian.  Be- 
ing thus  Vice  Shogun  and  continually  at  the  Castle 
he  intrigued  with  one.  of  the  physicians  of  the  Court 
to  get  the  boy  Shogun  removed,  in  order  that  his 
own  son  Hitotsubashi  might  reign  in  his  stead. 
This  was  an  easy  matter  to  accomplish,  for  in  those 
times  it  was  the  daily  custom  of  the  Court  Physi- 
cian to  feel  his  Master's  pulse  and  administer  medi- 
cine to  him  whether  he  was  sick  or  not.  And  thus 
it  came  to  pass  that  lyesada  died  of  poison  in  1858. 

This  plot  was  detected  by  the  Prince  li-Ka- 
mon-no-Kami,  who  held  council  with  the  dignitaries 
of  the  Shogun' s  Government  on  the  subject.  The 
physician  who  did  the  deed  was  arrested,  and  on 
being  examined  confessed  how  and  at  whose  insti- 
gation he  had  made  away  with  his  Lord.  Where- 
upon sentence  of  death  was  passed  upon  him.  And 
the  Lord  of  Mito  was  dismissed  from  the  office  of 
Vice-Shogun,  and  ordered  to  retire  to  his  own  pro-  - 
vince  and  confine  himself  in  his  own  castle  as  a 
punishment. 

After  this  a  new  ministry  was  formed  and  a 
new  Shogun  was  selected  from  the  stock  of  Kii. 
This  Shogun  was  still  a  Minor,  so  a  Regent  was 
appointed  from  one  of  the  two  houses  from  which 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  247 


a  Regent  could  be  selected,  and  this  Regent  was 
li  Kamon  no  Kami,  the  man  who  had  detected  and 
exposed  the  plot  of  the  Lord  of  Mito. 

And  so  this  Lord  of  Mito  found  all  his  plans 
reduced  to  naught,  for  not  only  had  his  son  in  the 
house  of  Hitotsubashi  failed  to  become  Shogun,  but 
he  himself  had  been  stripped  of  all  his  power  and 
banished  ingloriously  to  his  Castle  in  his  Province. 
Now  at  this  his  household  and  his  retainers  were 
sorely  angered.  And  37  men  of  his  following 
headed  by  one  of  his  sons  vowed  vengeance 
against  the  Prince  Regent  li  Kamon  no  Kami  and 
lay  in  wait  for  him.  And  at  last  in  the  midst  of  the 
whirling  snow-drift  of  the  25th  of  March  they  had 
succeeded  in  their  fell  design,  and  had  killed  and 
cut  off  and  carried  away  the  head  of  the  Regent  as 
he  was  on  his  way  to  the  Castle  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  Shogun  and  to  felicitate  him.  The  day  was 
one  of  the  five  grand  holidays  of  the  land,  and  the 
Regent's  progress  towards  the  Castle  was  in  true 
feudal  style.  Four  hundred  trusty  henchmen  fol- 
lowed in  his  train.  But  on  account  of  the  driving 
sleet  they  had  donned  rain-coats  to  prevent  their 
arms  and  dress  taking  damage  from  the  storm,  and 
hence  when  the  attack  of  the  37  Mito  ronins  burst 
upon  them,  they  were  hampered  and  impeded. 
These  thirty-seven  men  had  been  lurking  in  disguise, 
waiting  for  their  chance  for  months,  and  now  at  last 


248  THE    NARRATIVE 


this  darkling  snowy  day  of  March  had  brought  it. 
And  brought  it  in  such  wondrous  fashion  too,  for 
in  accordance  with  Japanese  ideas  of  the  vendetta, 
the  moment  of  revenge  or  retribution,  should  be 
that  of  the  victim's  proudest  triumph. 

At  the  time  it  was  told  with,  bated  breath,  and 
even  to  this  day  you  will  hear  the  story  with  head- 
shakings  and  solemn  looks  from  gray-beards  that 
were  young  men  at  the  time,  how  when  he  was 
about  to  step  into  his  sedan-chair  the  string  of  the 
Regent's  mage  (top-knot)  broke  asunder  suddenly, 
and  how  his  family  urged  him  not  to  go,  but  to 
send  a  representative  and  to  keep  indoors  and  stay 
at  home  himself.  For  the  breaking  of  the  top-knot 
tie  was  an  evil  omen.  But  the  Regent  would  not 
listen,  and  ordered  the  knot  to  be  retied  and  start- 
ed off.  And  in  the  lapse  of  a  few  minutes  he  was 
a  corpse. 

April  1860.  In  the  course  of  this  month  there 
was  yet  another  assassination  in  Yokohama.  This 
time  the  victims  were  Dutchmen,  the  Captains  of  a 
barque  and  of  a  brig  then  in  port.  It  seemed  that 
about  dusk  the  twain  were  walking  quietly  in  the 
Main  Street  of  the  native  town,  when  without  any 
warning  a  man  crept  up  behind  and  fell  upon  them 
with  a  sword  and  cut  them  down.  One  of  the 
Dutchmen  left  his  hat  and  an  arm  about  two  blocks 
away  from  his  body,  according  to  the  statement  of 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  249 


an  eye-witness.  And  the  assassin  fled  and  escaped 
and  he  has  never  been  detected  or  arrested  even 
unto  this  day. 

May.  Since  the  opening  of  the  place  to  trade, 
foreign  merchants  and  dealers  have  been  swarming 
into  Yokohama  from  the  China  ports  and  else- 
where. And  on  the  other  hand  the  natives  have 
been  flocking  into  the  town  from  all  parts  of  the 
country.  When  the  Port  was  first  opened  the  Go- 
vernment of  Yedo  had  circulated  a  notice  to  the 
effect  that  such  of  its  subjects  as  desired  to  settle 
in  the  new  town  should  there  hold  their  lands  tax- 
free  for  three  years.  But  very  few  folks  of  good 
name  and  repute  responded  to  the  inducement, 
and  those  who  came  were  mostly  broken  men,  mere 
adventurers  and  speculators  who  had  but  little  to 
lose  and  possibly  something  to  gain.  And  this 
was 'so,  it  was  reported,  because  respectable  per- 
sons were  afraid  to  come  in  contact  with  the  foreign 
"barbarians,"  with  their'  strange  speech  and 'un- 
couth, outlandish  ways. 

Juue.  About  this  time  the  increase  in  the 
foreign  population  caused  much  embarrassment  at 
the  Custom  House.  It  was  there  that  the  dollars 
had  to  be  exchanged  for  native  coins.  Now  the 
Mint  of  Yedo  was  unable  to  meet  the  demand 
made  upon  it,  and  on  account  of  this  the  authorities 
notified  that  no  one  could  exchange  more  than  10 


25O  THE   NARRATIVE 


dollars  per  diem.  Hence  it  came  to  pass  that 
some  people  made  application  for  exchange  under 
fictitious  names. 

July  4th.  At  Yokohama  we  meant  to  have 
a  dinner  to  celebrate  the  "Glorious  Fourth"  for 
the  second  time  in  Japan.  But  few  if  any  of  the 
residents  had  ever  thought  of  hoisting  flags,  for  the 
reason  that  scarcely  any  of  them  had  American 
flags.  On  the  3rd,  however,  one  of  our  fellow- 
residents  called  at  the  U,  S.  Consulate  at  Kana- 
gawa  and  in  the  course  of  conversation  with  the 
Consul  remarked  .that  it  was  his  intention  to  hoist 
the  American  flag  on  the  4th  to  celebrate  the  day. 
Upon  this  the  Cons'ul  told  him  that  no  American, 
not  an  official,  could  hoist  his  country's  flag  in  the 
Settlement  without  special  permission  from  the 
Consul,  and  that  if  any  one  should  hoist  the  Ame- 
rican flag  in  Yokohama  he  (the  Consul)  would 
come  over  and  pull  it  down. 

This  was  reported  to  the  Americans  in  Yoko- 
hama, and  angered  them  greatly.  They  de'termin- 
ed  to  resent  it  and  to  give  the  Consul  an  opportu- 
nity of  making  good  his  threat.  During  the  night 
they  set  all  the  native  tailors  in  the  town  to 
work  upon  the  American  flag.  And  next  morning 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  floating  over  every 
American  residence  in  the  Settlement.  But  that 
Consul  did  not  come  over  and  pull  down  these 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  251 


flags,  nor  did  he  even  send  a  deputy  to  do,  it 
for  him. 

July  ijth.  This  was  a  great  day  in  the  an- 
nals of  the  native  town.  It  was  the  first  celebra- 
tion of  the  matsuri  or  festival  of  the  Goddess 
Benten  in  the  place.  From  early  morning  no 
fewer  them  6  Dashi  or  dancing-cars  were  in  the 
streets,  adorned  with  figures  of  warriors,  gods  and 
goddesses.  They  were  drawn  through  the  streets 
by  bevies  of  handsomely  dressed  geislia,  stopping 
here  and  there  and  giving  exhibitions  of  dancing 
and  pantomime  on  their  stages.  The  natives  on 
this  occasion  kept  open  house  for  all  foreign  re- 
sidents. The  festival  was  kept  up  for  three  full 
days. 

July  20th.  To-day  there  was  a  great  depre- 
ciation in  the  value  of  the  dollar.  This  was  because 
the  Yedo  Mint  had  ceased  to  buy  dollars.  In 
the  morning  the  quotation  was  290  bu  for  $100;  in 
the  evening  it  had  fallen  to  235. 

The  first  Land  Regulations  issued  by  foreign 
Consuls  at  Kanagawa  are  as  follow : — 

I.— MODE  OF  ACQUIRING  'LAND. 

Any  persoii  desiring  to  Ifiase  land  within  the  location  fixed  upon 
for  Foreign  Renters  must  first  apply  to  the  Consul  or  Consular  Agent 
of  his  nation  officially  and  in  writing,  or  if  there  be  none  appointed, 
to  the  Consul  of  any  friendly  power,  specifying  as  nearly  as  can  be  as- 
certained the  locality  and  boundaries  of  the  said  laud,  and  the  said 
Consul  or  Consular  Agent  will  thereupon  enquire  of  the  Land  Officer 


252  THE   NARRATIVE 


find  the  other  foreign  Consuls  whetlier  any  impediment  exists  to  its 
settlement  by  reason  of  previous  negotiations  or  application  by  third 
parties,  or  otherwise,  provided  always  that  if  such  impediment  do 
«xist,  then  and  in  such  case  a  reasonable  time  shall  be  allowed  the 
first  claimant  to  settle  for  the  said  Land;  and  the  failing  to  do  so 
within  such  reasonable  time  shall  be  considered  and  held  a  virtual 
surrender  of  such  prior  right  of  Settlement,  and  the  same  shall  revert 
to  the  foreigner  next  applying,  on  notice  to  that  effect  being  given  to 
•his  Consul,  and  no  good  cause  shown  why  it  should  not  revert  as 
aforesaid. 

n. — ONQY  BONA-FIDE  RESIDENTS  ELIGIBLE  TO  BENT  LAND. 

Allotments  of  land  will  be  made  only  to  bona-fide  residents,  and 
renters  of  land  will  be  required,  under  penalty  of  forfeiture  of  Title- 
•deed,  to  erect  within  six  months  after  date  of  Title-deed  and  in 
accordance  with  these  Regulations,  buildings  of«a  value  of  not  less 
than : — 

On  water  lots    #150  for  each  100  tsnbo  measurement. 

„  rear  lots  50    „      „     100     „  „ 

III. — FINAL  SETTLEMENT  ,AND  TITLE-DEEDS. 

The  priority  of  the  individual  claimant  having  been  determined 
as  aforesaid,  a  note  under  the  hand  and  seal  of  the  Consul  will  be 
furnished  him  for  delivery  to  the  Land  Officer  who  will  without  delay 
proceed  with  him  to  measure  the  land  in  question. 

The  measurement  having  been  ascertained,  the  money  for  one 
year's  rental  will  be  immediately  paid  to  the  Chief  Land  Officer,  who 
will  give  a  receipt  in  triplicate,  with  translation  of  the  same,  stating 
also  the  measurement  and  boundaries  of  the  said  land.  Two  copies 
of  the  said  receipt  will  be  handed  by  the  Renters  to  his  Consul,  who 
will  transmit  one  copy  to  the  Governor.  The  Governor  will  forthwith 
issue  Title-deeds  in  Triplicate  in  t)ie  form  agreed  upon  and  hereunto 
annexed,  one  copy  to  be  archived  by  the  Governor,  one  by  the  Consul,, 
and  one  copy  to  be"  delivered  to  the  Renter. 

The  Governor  will  also  notify  the  other  Consuls  of  the  issue  of 
such  Title-deeds,  specifying  the  measurement  and  boundaries  of  the 
laud. 

IV. — BOUNDARY  STONES  TO  BE  PLACED. 

When  laud  is  rented  a  time  will  be  appointed,  and  stones  having 
±he  number  of  the  Lot  distinctly  cut  thereon,  to  define  the  boundaries 


.      OF  A  JAPANESE.  253 

Will  be  fixed  in  the  presence  of  an  officer  deputed  by  the  Consul,  of 
the  Land  Officer,  or  his  deputy,  and  of  the  Renter,  in  such  manner 
that  they  may  not  interfere  with  the  lines  of  road  or  the '  boundaries, 
or  in  any  other  way  give  cause  for  litigation  or  dispute  hereafter. 

V. — STREETS,  ROADS,  SEWERS  AND  JETTIES. 

It  is  clearly  understood  and  agreed  to,  that  land  devoted  to  public 
use,  as  streets,  roads,  etc.  is  not  included  in  the  measurement  of 
rented  Lots,  and  is  not  to  be  infringed  on  in  any  way. 

In  th«- acquirement  of  new  Lots  of  land,  provision  shall  be  made 
for  the  requisite  extension  or  creation  of  Streets,  Roads  and  Jetties. 

The  proprietorship  of  the  soil  being  in  the  Japanese  Government, 
the  Streets,  Roads,  and  Jetties  will  be  at  all  times  kept  in  thorough 
order,  and  Sewers  or  drains  will  be  made  when  necessary  by  the 
Japanese  Government,  and  no  tax  will  be  levied  on  Reuters  in  the 
Foreign  quarter  for  this  purpose. 

VI. — RENT  WHEN  PAYABLE. 

The  annual  Rent  payable  to  the  -Japanese  Government  on  -the 
land  rented  within  the  Foreign  Quarters  will  be  payable  in  advance 
on  the day  of  the month  of  each  year. 

The  Governor  will  address  the  several  Consuls  ten  days-  previous 
to  the  said  date,  stating  when,  where,  and  to  whom  the  said  rent  must 
be  paid,  and  the  said  Consuls  will  give  notice  to  the  Renters.  The 
officer  appointed  to  receive  the  Rent  will  give  a  receipt  in  triplicate, 
•with  translation  for  the  same,  one  copy  of  which  shall  be  archived  by 
the  Governor,  one  copy  by  the  Consul,  and  one  be  delivered  to  the 
Renter. 

Should  a  Renter  neglect  to  pay  the  Rent  on  the  day  fixed,  the 
Governor  will  acquaint  the  Consul  under  whose  jurisdiction  the  de- 
faulter is,  who  will  enforce  immediate  payment. 

VII.' — TRANSFER  OF  LOTS. 

The  interest  in  a  Lot  shall  always  be  held  in  Law  and  Equity  to 
reside  in  that  person  in  whose  name  the  Title  of  Record  appears,  and 
no  Title  shall  pass  unless  the  Deed  is  lodged  for  Record  within  three 
days  from  the  date  of  the  conveyance ; — but  no  lot  can  be  transfered 
within  one  year  after  the  date  of  Title-deed. 

Within  the  said  Foreign  Quarter  no  Japanese  shall  erect  new 
houses  or  sheds  so  near  the  residence  or  place*  of  business  of  For- 


254  THE   NARRATIVE 


eigners  as  to  endanger  them  in  case  of  Fire,  and  if  he  does,  the  Governor 
will  abate  the  nuisance. 

No  Japanese  -shall  open  a  place  of  public  entertainment  within 
said  Location  without  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Consular 
Authorities,  under  the  penalties  hereinafter  provided  against  main- 
taining nuisances. 

VIII. — EXTENT  OF  LOT  AND  USAGE  TO  WHICH  APPLIED. 

Straw  sheds,  Bamboo  or  Wooden  houses,  or  buildings  of  inflam- 
mable kinds  shall  not  be  erected  in  the  Settlement,  nor  shall  any 
trade  or  profession  be  carried  on  within  its  limits,  dangerous  to  the 
safety  of  life  or  property,  or  obnoxious  to  the  general  health,  under 
a  penalty  of  $25  for  every  twenty-four  hours  such  nuisance  shall 
remain  unabated. 

Nor  shall  contraband  goods  or  merchandize  likely  to  endanger  life 
or  property, — such  us  gunpowder,  sulphur,  saltpetre,  large  quantities 
of  spirits,  and  such  like,  be  stored  in  the  premises  of  any  individual 
under  a  penalty  of  $25,  and  825  for  each  twenty-four  hours  the  nui- 
sance shall  remain.  The  place  where  such  trades  or  professions  may 
be  carried  on,  or  Where  such  merchandize  may  be  stored  must  be  suffi- 
'ciently  distinct  from  other  dwellings  or  warehouses  to  prevent  all  risk 
of  damage  or  inconvenience,  and  be  fixed  upon  by  the  authorities 
after  consultation  together. 

The  public  road  must  not  be  encroached  upon  or  obstructed, 
by  scaffolding  for  the  purpose  of  building,  or  by  building  materials  of 
any  kind,  beyond  the  time  essential  for  the  completion  of  the  work. 
No  one  shall  encroach  upon  the  road  or  shall  at  any  time  block  it  up 
by  heaping  up  goods  and  such  like,  for  any  length  of  time,  under  a 
penalty  of  $10  for  each  twenty-four  hours  they  remain  after  a  notifica- 
tion by  the  Japanese  or  Consular  authorities  to  remove  them. 

The  public  or  individuals  must  not  bo  inconvenienced  by  the 
accumulation  of  filth  in  gutters  or  upon  the  roads ;  by  the  firing  of 
guns,  carelessly  creating  noise  or  disturbance,  riding  or  driving,  or 
leading  horses  up  and  down  the  chief  thoroughfares  for  exercise  or 
by  any  act  coming  legitimately  within  the  meaning  of  the  term  nui- 
sance, under  a  penalty  of  $10,  on  commission  of  either  of  said  offences. 
All  fines  shall  be  recovered  before  the  Consul  of  the  nation  to  which 
the  offending  party  belongs,  or  if  there  be  none  in  the  port  then  they 
may.  be  recovered  before  the  Japanese  authorities,  and  shall  be  paid 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  255 


over  to  the  Committee  appointed  under  clause  IX.  of  these  Regula- 
tions to  be  used  for  the  purposes  therein  stated,  and  for  which  said 
Committee  is  appointed. 

IX. — STREET  LAMPS  AND  POLICE. 

It  being  expedient  and  necessary  that  some  provision  should  be 
made  for  the  lighting  and  cleaning  of  streets  and  for  a  watch  or  Police 
Force,  the  Foreign  Consul  aforesaid  shall  at  the  beginning  oi-  each 
year  convene  a  meeting  of  the  Renters  of  Land  within  the  said  Foreign 
quarters  to  devise  means  of  raising  the  requisite  f tmds  for  these  pur- 
poses ;  and  at  such  meeting  it  shall  be  competent  to  the  said  Renters, 
to  declare  assessment  in  the  form  of  a  Rate  to  be  made  on  the  said 
Land  or  Buildings,  and  in  the  form  of  wharfage  dues  on  all  goods 
landed  at  any  place  within  the  said  Quarter ;  and  to  appoint  a  Com- 
mittee of  three  or  more  persons  to  levy  the  said  Rates  and  Dues,  and 
apply  the  fund  so  realized  to  the  purposes  aforesaid,  or  in  such  manner 
as  may  be  agreed  and  determined  upon  by  all  at  the  said  meeting ;  and 
to  that  end  the  said  Committee  shall  be  empowered  to  sue  all  defaul- 
ters in  the  Consular  Courts  under  whose  jurisdiction  these  may  be ; 
and  in  case  the  said  defaulters  have  no  Consular  Representative  at 
this  Port,  then  the  Governor  of  Yokohama  shall  upon  application  of 
the  Committee  through  the  foreign  Consuls,  recover  from  such  Defaul- 
ters the  amounts  due  from  them  for  Land  assessment  or  wharfage- 
dues,  and  pay  the  same  to  the  said  Committee. 

Moreover,  at  such  yearly  meeting  the  accounts  of  the  Committee 
for  the  past  year  shall  be  laid  before  the  assembled  Renters  for  their 
approval  and  sanction. 

It  shall  be  competent  for  the  Fofleign  Consuls  collectively  or 
singly,  when  it  may  appear  to  them  needful,  or  at  the  requisition  of 
the  Renters  of  Land  to  call  a  public  meeting  at  any  time,  giving  ten 
days'  notice  of  the  same,  setting  forth  the  business  upon  which  it  is 
convened,  for  the  consideration  of  any  matter  or  thing  connected  with 
the  laud ;  provided  always  such  requisition  shall  be  signed  by  not  less 
than  five  of  the  said  Renters,  and  that  it  set  forth  satisfactory  grounds 
for  such  request. 

The  Resolutions  passed  by  a  majority  at  any  such  public  meet- 
ings on  all  such  matters  aforesaid  shall  be  valid  and  binding  upon  the 
whole  of  the  Renters  of  Land,  within  the  said  limits,  if  not  less  than 
one-third  of  them  are  present. 


256  THE   NARRATIVE 


The  Senior  Consul  present  at  any  such  meeting  shall  take  the 
chair,  and  in  the  absence  of  a  Consul,  then  such  Renter  as  the  majo- 
rity of  voters  present  may  nominate. 

If  Renters  of  Land  in  Public  meeting  assembled,  as  herein  pro- 
vided, decide  upon  any  matters  of  a-  municipal  nature  not  already 
enumerated,  and  affecting  the  general  interest,  such  decision  shall 
first  be  reported  by  the  Chairman  to  the  Consuls  for  their  joint  con- 
currence and  approval,  without  which1  approval  officially -given,  such 
resolution  cannot  become  valid  and  binding  upon  the  Renters  as  a 
body. 

X. — SALE  OF  SPIRITS  OR  LIQUORS  ;  OPENING  OF  PUBLIC  HOUSES,  '&c. 

No  Foreigner  or  Japanese  shall,  sell  spirits  or  liquors,  or  open  a 
house  of  entertainment  within  the  Foreign  Quarter  without  a  License 
to  do  so  from  th6  said  Consuls,  or  the  Majority  of  them,  and  if  a 
Japanese,  also  from  the.  Governor,  and  upon  good  and  sufficient 
security  given  for  the  maintenance  of  order  in  their  establishment. 

XI. — BREACH  OF  REGULATIONS. 

Should  one  of  the  Consuls  at  any  time  discover  a  Breach  of  the 
Regulations  or  should  information  thereof  be  lodged  with  him,  or 
should  local  authorities  address  him  thereon,  he  shall  in  every  case 
within  his  jurisdiction  summon  the  offender  before  him,  and  if  con- 
vicfced,  punish  him  summarily. 

Should  any  Foreigner  who  has  no  Consular  authority  at  this  port 
commit  a  breach  of  the  Regulations,  then  and  in  such  case  the  Japa* 
nese  chief  authority  may  be  appealed  to  by  any  one '  or  more  of  the 
Consuls  to  "uphold  the  Regulations  in  their  integrity  and  punish  the 
party  so  infringiug  them. 

/ 
X-II. — PROVISIONAL  CLAUSE. 

Hereafter  should  any  correction  be  requisite  in  these  Regulations, 
or  should  it  be  necessary  to  determine  on  further  Regulations,  or 
should  doubt  arise  as  to  the  construction  of,  or  powers  conferred  there- 
by, the  same  must  be  consulted  upon  and  settled  by  the  Consuls  and 
Governor  in  communication  together,  who  shall  equitably  decide 
thereon,  the  Consul  submitting  the  same  for  confirmation  to  the 
Representative  of  their  respective  countries  of  Japan. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  257 


The  Consuls  referred  to  iu  these  Regulations  are  Consuls,  (or 
persons  dirty  acting  as  such,)  of  powers  having  Treaties  with  Japan. 

(Signed.)  F.  HOWABD  VYSE, 

H.  B.  M.  Acting  Consul, 

(      „      )  E.  M.  DORB, 

U.  8.  Consul. 

(      „      )  D.  DE  GRAAFF  VAN  POLSBROEK, 

H.  N.  M.'s  Vice-Consul. 

A  true  Copy, 

PHILLIP  BUCHANAN  WALSH, 

Acting  Junior  Assistant. 

Kauagawa,  Japan,  .August,  1860. 

October  2$th.  The  U.  S.  ship  Hartford 
arrived  from  China  with  Commodore  Stribling. 
Dr.  Bates  and  myself  called  on  the  Commodore 
and  officers  and  the  Commodore  returned  the  call. 
He-  and  his  officers  were  the  most  pleasant  and 
polite  people  I  ever  met.  j 

October  Jist.  Our  Consul  gave  a  Ball  in 
honour  of  the  Commodore  and  the  officers  of  the 
Hartford.  All  Americans  were  invited.  This 
was  the  first  Ball  ever  given  in  Kanagawa.  Very 
few  ladies  were  present ;  only  two  Englishwomen 
and  three  or  four  female  American  missionaries. 
The  function  was  a  great  success. 

November  ist.  The  Hartford  was  to  pro- 
ceed to  Yedo,  and  many  of  the  American  residents 
were  invited  by  the  Captain  and  officers  to  visit 
the  city,  and  many  of  those  engaged  in  business 


258  THE   NARRATIVE 


left  their  business  to  look  after  itself  and  accepted 
the  invitation. 

We  arrived  at  Shinagawa  and  went  ashore, 
and  Mr.  Hall  and  myself  called  on  our  Minister, 
Harris,  and  paid  our  respects  to  him.  He  received 
us  civilly  enough,  yet  it  was  not  difficult  to  see  that 
he  was  by  no  means  over-pleased  with  our  visit. 
For  we  were  only  common  citizens.  We  then 
went  and  called  on  the  Secretary  and  the  Inter- 
preter, and  from  them  we  obtained  horses  and 
guards  to  ride  out  to  see  the  city. 

Some  days  afterwards  Hall  and  myself  called 
on  the  British  Minister  and  his  staff  at  their  Lega- 
tion, and  afterwards  we  went  to  see  our  old  friend 
the  Abbe  Girard.  He  was  now  attached  to  the 
French  Legation,  living  in  a  house  of  his  own, 'in  a 
nice  quiet  spot  near  the  Legation  Compound.  He 
had  been  in  the  Loochoo  Islands  for  several  years, 
during  which  he  had  acquired  the  Loochooan  lan- 
guage. When  Japan  was  thrown  open  to  foreign 
trade  he  came  up  to  Yokohama  and  there  built  the 
first  Catholic  Church  in  the  town  on  the  spot  where 
it  now  stands* 

When  we  called  he  said  that  he  was  very 
pleased  to  see  us,  and  on  our  remarking  that  we 
had  very  little  time  to  see  the  sights  of  the  city  as 
the  Hartford  had  to  leave  next  day  he  invited  us 
to  stay  with  him.  Hall  and  myself  accepted  this 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  259 


kind  invitation  with  alacrity ;  and  promising  to  be 
back  that  evening  we  sallied  out  sightseeing.  We 
had  tiffin  in  a  restaurant  over  in  Fukagawa.  It 
consisted  of  fish  cooked  and  raw,  fowls,  eggs, 
boiled  rice,  vegetables  and  fruit.  I  asked  for  the 
bill  and  the  landlord  brought  it.  The  total  was 
2^  bu,  or  less  than  a  dollar.  This  included 
tiffin  for  Hall  and  myself,  for  two  officers  (our 
guards)  and  four  grooms,  and  feed  for  four  horses. 
I  asked  the  proprietor  whether  that  was  all,  and 
whether  he  had  not  made  a  mistake.  He  said  that 
that  was  all  and  that  no  mistake  had  been  made. 
I  paid  the  bill  and  gave  half  a-bu  As  chadai.  The 
landlord  thanked  me  profusely  and  the  whole 
household  escorted  us  to  the  door  to  say  sayonara 
to  us.  This  is  the  cheapest  dinner  I  ever  ate,  be- 
fore or  since. 

That  night  our  portmanteaus  came  ashore  from 
the  Hartford  and  we  took  up  our  quarters  at  the 
Abbe's.  Next  day  after  breakfast  he  kindly  fur- 
nished us  with  horses  and  guards  and  we  set  out  for 
Ju-ni-so.  We  arrived  there,  had  tiffin  and  started  for 
home  again.  On  our  return  journey  we  met  the 
British  Minister  and  his  staff"  riding  towards  the  U.S. 
Legation.  They  returned  our  salutation,  and  pass- 
ed on  and  we  got  back  just  in  time  for  dinner. 

After  dinner  we  were  enjoying  a  smoke  when 
some  native  officers  were  announced,  wishing  to 


26O  THE    NARRATIVE 


see  the  Abbe.  He  excused  himself  and  went  to 
meet  them  in  another  room.  In  half-an-hour  he 
came  back  and  told  us  that  these  men  had  been 
sent  by  the  U.  S.  Minister  to  inquire  why  and 
wherefore  we  were  ^n  Yedo  seeing  that  the  Hat4- 
ford  had  left.  The  Abbe  had  replied  that  we  wish- 
ed to  see  the  sights  of  Yedo,  and  that  as  the 
Hartford  had  gone  so  soon,  he  had  invited  us  as 
citizens  of  a  friendly  nation  to  stay  with  him  as 
there  was  no  hotel  for  us  to  put  up  at. 

"And,"  had  wound  up  the  Abbe,  "when  you' 
return  to  the  American  Minister  please  tell  him 
with  my  compliments  that  if  in  future  he  should  find 
tin  Yedo  any  of  my  countrymen  situated  similarly 
to  these  gentlemen,  I  shall  feel  much  obliged  if  he 
will  invite  them  to  his  Legation,  and  hope  and 
trust  that  he  will  have  the  goodness  to  do  so." 

Upon  this  the  officials  took  their  departure, 
and  nothing  more  was  heard  from  th,e  jealous 
Minister.  Mr,  Harris  seldom  if  ever  went  out,  so 
we  inferred  that  he  knew  of  our  being  in  the  city  from 
the  English  Minister  whom  we  had  met  on  our  way 
back  from  Ju-ni-so,  and  that  he  had  immediately  sent 
these  officers  to  annoy  our  host  and  ourselves. 
Upon  this  Hall  and  myself  consulted  and  decided 
to  return  to  Yokohama  at  once  rather  than  occasion 
any  unpleasantness  between  the  Abbe  and  the  U.  S. 
Minister  by  our  further  stay.  So  next  morning  we 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  26 1 


asked  our  host  for  horses  and  guards  to  start  for 
the  Treaty-Port,  when  he  said  that  he  had  some 
business  and  that  he  would  come  with  us.  So  we 
started  all  three  together  and  in  due  time  arrived 
at  Yokohama. 

November  $th.  To-day  the  U.  S.  frigate 
Niagara  steamed  up  the  bay  and  anchored  in 
Yokohama  harbour.  On  board  of  her  were  the 
ambassadors  who  had  left  in  February  on  the 
Powhafan.  I  went  off  to  congratulate  them  on 
their  safe  return.  They  told  me  that  they  had'  been 
treated  everywhere  in  America  with  the  utmost 
kindness  and  courtesy  and  that  they  had  been 
much  pleased  with  their  visit  to  the  States.  The 
Chief  Ambassadors,  Shimmi  and  Murakami,  ask- 
ed me  to  thank  the  Captain  and  officers  of  the 
Niagara  for  the  kindness  and  attention  they  had 
received  at  their  hands  since  they  came  on  board, 
and  also  to  write  in  their  names  to  some  people  in 
the  U.  S.  In  the  afternoon  the  Niagara  steamed 
up  with  the  ambassadors  and  suite  to  Shinagawa 
and  landed  them  there. 

In  the  course  of  this  month  the  Moss  shooting 
affair  took  place  at  Kanagawa.  In  the  trial  which 
ensued,  I  was  requested  by  Capt.  Vyse,  the  British 
Consul,  to  attend  and  watch  die  case.  My  duty 
was  to  see  that  no  undue  influence  should  be  exert- 
ed by  the  native  authorities  on  the  Japanese  wit- 


262  THE   NARRATIVE 


nesses.     I  attended  on  two  successive  days,  and 
had  no  occasion  to  interfere. 

December  $tk,  1860. .  To-day  the  British  Con- 
sul issued  the  following  notification  to  his  country- 
men. It  came  round  to  our  house,  and  our  clerk 
copied  it.  It  ran  as  follows. 

NOTIFICATION  No.  15, 

British  Consulate, 

Kanagawa,  Dec.  5th,  1861. 

The  deplorable  collision  in  which  an  officer  of  the  Taikun  has 
been  dangerously  wounded  .and  is  likely  to  lose  his  life,  renders  it  im- 
perative on  the  undersigned,  H.  B.  M.'s  Acting  Consul,  to  take 
measures  to  prevent  the  repetition  of  such  untoward1  occurrences. 
British  subjects  have  already  been  informed  by  public  notification 
that  the  pursuit  of  game  by  fire-arms  is  prohibited  by  Japanese  Law 
within  the  limit  of  this  port,  but  it  now  seems  further  nec.essary  to 
advise  them  that,  residence  in  a  foreign  country  carries  with  it  by  the 
common  polity .  of  nations,  the  obligation  to  obey  its  laws.  This- 
obligation  holds  gofcd  in  Japan,  no  less  than  in  other  countries,  in 
all  cases  where  'exemption  has  not  been  especially  stipulated  by  treaty 
in  the  form  of  specific  rights  and  privileges.  The  right  to  disregard 
an}r  Japanese  laws  not  specially  suspended  is  not  a  privilege  conceded 
by  the  Treaty  of  Great  Britain  with  Japan.  Certain  Treaty  rights 
exist  by  express  stipulation,  and  all  that  legitimately  follows,  as 
necessary  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  these,  is  secured,  but  nothing  be- 
yond. The  manifest  law  of  Japan  is  in  all.  respects  as  binding  upon 
foreigners  as  on  Japanese.  It  behoves  British  subjects  to  understand 
distinctly  therefore,  that  they  are  not  only  responsible  for  the  infrac- 
tion of  Japanese  laws  when  th"ey  have  not  been  suspended  in  their 
favor  by  Treaty  stipulations,  but  according  to  the  laws  of  Great 
Britain  for  all  consequences  which  may  result  from  the  commission  of 
an  unlawful  act. — So  far  does '  the  law  go,  that  if  one  intending  to 
commit  a  felony  imdesignedly.  kill  a  man,  it  is  murder.  Whenever 
a  person  does  an  act  lawful  in  itself  but  in  an  unlawful  manner,  or 
without  due  caution  and  circumspection,  and  a  life  is  lost,  it  must  be 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  263 


either  manslaughter  or  murder,  according  to  the  circumstances. 
Any  person  therefore  going  out  shooting,  and  specially  after  the  warn- 
ing given  by  Notification  No.  15  of  1659,  does  deliberately  violate  a 
Japanese  law,  and  acting  at  the  same  time  in  defence  of  an  under- 
stood prohibition  from  the  British  authorities  whose  jurisdic- 
tion he  must  acknowledge,  commits  a  misdemeanour,  and  if  he 
resists  a  Japanese  officer,  who,  in  performance  of  his  duty  seeks  to 
arrest  bird  for  this  cr  any  other  offence  against  Japanese  laws,  he  is 
equally  guilty  of  a  crime  and  aggravated  offence.  The  undersigned 
therefore  calls  upon  British  subjects  within  his  jurisdiction  carefully, 
to  abstain  from  all  wilful  violation  of  the  Japanese  laws,  weighing 
well  the  consequence,  and  at  the  present  moment,  more  especially 
reference  is  made  to  shooting  and  the  pursuit  of  game.  There  are 
certain  restrictions  and  prohibitions  to  tins  sport  in  most  countries, 
and  many  very  stringent  ones — in  some  cases  a  foreigner,  or  any  one 
indeed,  must  not  shoot  over  another  man's  laud,  if  he  does  not  choose 
it,  x>r  without  his  leave.  The  hardship  of  the  case  is  therefore  by  no 
means  so  great,  nor  so  singular,  as  has  been  alleged,  even  had  re- 
sidents in  Japan  no  more  serious  and  legitimate  objects  to  pursue ; 
but  were  it  ten  times  more  so,  while  such  is  the  law,  they  must 
abide  by  it. 

The  undersigned  is  further  called  upon  to  remark  upon  the  com- 
mon practice  of  carrying  fire-arms  during  the  day  and  in  the  most 
ostentatious  manner.  There  is  no  apparent  danger  to  justify  this 
practice,  while  on  the  other  hand  it  is  itself  a  source  of  danger, 
provoking  hostile  feelings  and  distrust  among  the  natives,  and  placing 
within  reach  of  many,  whose  non-command  of  temper  under  provoca- 
tion, or  whose  discretion  under  other  circumstances  cannot  be 
trusted,  such  dangerous  weapons  as  revolvers.  There  is  something 
especially  provocatives  and  irritating  .  in  such  ostentatious  display  of 
fire-arms,  for  men  supposed  to  be  following  the  avocations  of  mer- 
chants which  are  or  ought  to  be  entirely  peaceable. 

Nor  is  the  danger  one  which  affects  oulv  the  person  carrying  the 
weapon,  but  it  may  at  any  moment  involve  a  whole  community  in 
peril.  Considering  thesq  circumstances  therefore  and  regaining  such 
carrying  of  fire-arms  between  sunrise  and  sunset  as  a  provocation  to 
a  breach  of  the  peace  and  a  common  source  of  danger  to  the  com- 
munity, British  subjects  are  hereby  prohibited  from  so  offending 


2t>4  THE    NARRATIVE 


under  penalty  of  fine  and  imprisonment.  It  has  further  come  to  the, 
knowledge  of  the  Japanese  Government  that  furious  riding  in  the 
streets  of  Yokohama  is  a  common  practice  among  foreigners,  and  not 
only  among  them  but  among  their  Chinese  servants,  by  whom  the 
lives  of  Japanese  subjects  are  daily  endangered,  and  one  only  recently 
sacrificed.  The  undersigned  is  deeply  concerned  to  find  himself 
under  the  necessity  of  pointing  out  for  reprobation  acts  prohibited 
and  declared  punishable  by  law  in  every  civilized  country.  He 
«an  only  trust  no  British  subjects  will  be  brought  before  him  on  such 
a  charge,  and  that  every  one  will  take  earnest  and  effective  steps  to 
prevent  servants  tnus  bringing  their  masters  into  odium  and  dis- 
repute. The  very  circumstances  of  these  servants  riding  at  all,  is 
a  violation  of  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  -one  which  no  doubt 
outrages  the  feelings  and  the  customs  of  the  people. 

The  undersigned  can  see  no  adequate  justification  for  tins,  and  is 
certain  it  would  be  much  better  avoided  to  the  interests  of  their 
•employers  and  of  the  whole  community  of  foreigners  residing  at  this 
port. 

(Signed.)  P.  HOWABD  VYSK, 

H.  B.  M.'s  Consul,  Kanagawa. 

December  22nd.  This  morning  we  received 
news  from  Yedo  to  the  effect  that  one  of  the  late 
Governors  of  Kanagawa — the  Governor  for  Fo- 
reign Affairs — Hori  Oribe-no-Sho  had  committed 
harakiri  in  his  sedan-chair  on  his  way  home  from 
the  Castle.  It  seems  that  about  this  time  some 
foreigners  were  buying  up  large  quantities  of  flour 
and  exporting  it  to  Chipa,  owing  to  which  the  price 
of  wheat  and  flour  had  been  considerably  enhanced. 
This  caused  discontent  and  clamour  among  the 
vermicelli  and  maccaroni  dealers  in.Yedo.  So  the 
Gorojiu,  Ando  Tsushima  no  Kami,  thought  fit  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  export  of  flour,  by  prohibiting  the 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  265 


natives  from  selling  it.  Against  this  Hori  protest- 
ed, arguing  that  the  Treaty  said  nothing  about  any 
prohibition  of  the  export  of  flour,  although  it  was 
perfectly  explicit  about  wheat,  rice  and  barley. 
This  assertion  on  the  part  of  Hori  gave  offence  to 
Ando.  He  did  not  say  anything  to  Hori  or  at- 
tempt to  argue  the  point  with  him,  but  he  quietly 
got  up  and  left  the  audience  chamber.  Hori  im- 
mediately got  up  also,  seeing  that  his  words  had 
been  displeasing  to  the  Gorojiu.  And  on  his  way 
home  he  committed  suicide. 

It  is  further  rumoured  that  immediately  after 
Hori  had  left  the  Castle  the  Shogun  learned 
what  had  just  transpired.  He  knew  that  Hori 
was  a  straight-forward,  high-spirited  man,  and  he 
knew  furthermore  what  was  as  likely  as  not  to 
happen  under  the  circumstances.  So  fearing  lest 
Hori  should  commit  some  rash  act,  he  immediately 
sent  a  dispatch  pardoning  him  for  arguing  against 
the  order  of  his  superior.  The  messenger  with 
this  despatch  arrived  at  Hori's  residence  just  as 
Hori's  train  was  approaching  the  gate.  The  door 
of  the  Norimono  was  the  opened  by  attendants  and 
the  messenger  was  just  about  to  deliver  the  dis- 
patch when  they  discovered  that  Governor  Hori 
had  thrust  his  dirk  into  his  belly  and  had  disem- 
bowelled himself.  He  lived  just  long  enough  to 
hear  the  Shogun's  dispatch  read,  and  then  he 


266  THE   NARRATIVE 


bowed  his  head  and  died  with  a  smile  upon  his 
face. 

In  consequence  of  this  deed  of  Governor  Hori, 
his  son  was  immediately  appointed  Governor  of 
Kanagawa  by  the  Shogun.  This  fact  was  notified 
to  the  Foreign  Consuls  about  two  weeks  after  his 
father's  death. 

December  2Qt/i.  It  is  reported,  that  some  of 
the  ronin  (outlaws)  of  Mito  are  meditating  an  at- 
tack upon  the  Government  Office  in  Kadzusa,  and 
that  in  consequence  of  this  the  Foreign  Consuls 
have  been  requested  by  the  authorities  of  Kana- 
gawa to  temporarily  withdraw  their  Consulates  to 
the  Yokohama  side.  Upon  this  the  Consuls  held 
a  meeting  to  discuss  the  request.  They  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  Shogun's  Government  were 
merely  trying  to  frighten  the  Consuls  to  withdraw 
to  Yokohama,  or  in  other  words,  to  place  them 
with  the  other  foreigners  in  one  spot  in  order  to 
establish  a  second  Deshima  on  the  Bay  of  Yedo. 
So  the  Consuls  jointly  declined  to  accede  to  the 
request. 

January  ist,  1861.  It  was  reported  that  three 
ronins  had  been  arrested  at  Yedo,  and  one  at  the 
entrance  gate  to  Yokohama,  while  trying  to  steal 
into  the  town.  They  were  all  Mito  men.  This 
rumour  created  great  excitement  among  the  foreign 
residents  in  the  Treaty-Port. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  267 


January  i6lh.  In  the  morning  a  dispatch  was 
received  at  the  U.  S.  Consulate  at  Kanagawa  from 
the  U.  S.  Legation  at  Yedo,  stating  that  on  the 
previous  night  Mr.  Heusken,  the  Interpreter  of  the 
Legation,  had  been  assassinated  at  Akabane  by 
some  persons  unknown.  He  was  riding  home 
from  the  Prussian  Legation  whither  he  had  gone  to 
aid  in  negotiating  the  Prussian  Treaty  with  the 
Japanese  Government.  This  created  tremendous 
excitement  in  both  Yedo  and  Yokohama. 

January  soth.  It  is  reported  that  owing  "to 
the  above  occurrence,  the  English,  French  and 
Dutch  Ministers  held  a  meeting  in  Yedo,  in  order 
to  concert  precautionary  measures  for  their  personal 
safety.  The  American  Minister  was  invited  by  the 
others  but  did  not  attend.  Subsequently  the  follow- 
ing notices  >vere  circulated  among  the  foreign  re- 
sidents of  Yokohama,  and  my  clerk  copied  them. 
They  are  as  follows : — 

H.  M.'s  Ship  Encounter.,  Bay  of  Yedo, 

January  25th,  1861. 

SIR, — I  enclose  for  your  information  and  guidance  a  copy  of  an 
official  communication  I  have  addressed  to  the  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  in  Yedo,  in  which  the  Japanese  Government  is  informed  of  my 
resolution  to  withdraw  from  the  capital  temporarily,  and  made  ac- 
quainted with  my  reasons  for  this  step.  This  resolution  has  been 
taken  in  concert  with  my  colleagues,  the  Kepresentatives  of  France  and 
the  Netherlands,  between  whom  and  myself  there  is  the  most  perfect 
accord,  as  the  best  means  of  averting  eventualities  calculated  to  inter- 
rupt all  friendly  relations.  I  must  in  common  with  them  hope  that 


268  THE   NARRATIVE 


it  may  yet  be  possible  to  put  an  end  to  a  system  of  intimidation, 
enforced  by  frequent  assassinations  which  must  otherwise  inevitably 
lead  to  great  calamities  and  more  serious  complications  than  those 
which  already  exist  in  consequence  of  the  long  persistence  in  so  fatal 
a  course. 

In  furtherance  of  this  object  it  is  my  purpose  to  take  up  my  resi- 
dence at  Kana^awa  or  Yokohama,  and  there  await  communication 
with  the  Japanese  Government  on  the  spot  from  which  any  danger  of 
violence  will  then  be  removed,  and  when  all  British  subjects  in  this 
port  of  Japan  are  collected,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  take  more  effective 
steps  for  their  security  with  the  assistance  of  H.B.M.'s  ships. 

My  relations  with  the  Japanese  Government  will  not  be  interrupted 
nor  trade  interfered  with  while  negotiations  are  pending  for  the  more 
effective  maintenance  of  treaty  rights  than  has  hitherto  been  found  pos- 
sible. In  this  way  I  trust  much  good  may  be  ultimately  effected  with 
the  least  chance  of  injury  to  existing  interests  and  you  will  in  nothing- 
alter  your  demeanour  or  usual  course  of  action  at  the  post  under  your 
jurisdiction.  The  object  of  this  movement  on  my  part  (and  I  may  say 
on  that  of  my  colleagues),  you  will  explain  to  the  Governor  of  Kana- 
gawa,  is  not  to  create  a  rupture,  but  if  possible  to  arrest  any  such 
calamity,  and  by  every  available  means,  while  relieving  the  Govern- 
ment of  Japan  from  a  great  danger,  to  induce  them  without  further 
delay  to  take  what  steps  may  be  necessary  to  place  their  relations  on  a 
better  and  safer  footing,  and  above  all  to  give  that  security  to  life  ami 
property  which  has  been  greatly  in  default  from  the  beginning  and 
latterly  wholly  wanting. 

You  are  at  liberty  to  make  known  the  contents  of  this  dispatch 
and  its  enclosure  for  the  benefit  and  information  of  British  subjects  at 
your  port. 

I  have,  &c., 

(Signed)        K.  A . 

Minister,  Ac.,  &c. 
(To  BBITISH  CONSUL.) 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  269 


The  enclosure  the  Minister  referred  to  in  the 
above  was  addressed  to  the  Japanese  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  at  Yedo,  and  is  as  follows  :r— 

H.  M.'s  Legation,  Yedo, 

January  26th,  1861. 

A  long  series  of  assassinations  both  here  and  at  Yokohama,  in 
which  foreigners  have  been  the  victims,  preclude  the  possibility  of  the 
lately  renewed  menace  of  a  general  massacre  being  regarded  as  a  mere 
idle  demonstration  of  ill-will. 

The  recent  murder  of  lit1.  Heusken,  and  the  shameful  conduct  of 
the  Yakunins  expressly  appointed  by  the  Japanese  Government  to 
accompany  him  for  his  defence  argue  alike  the  reality  of  the  danger 
and  the  utter  inadequacy  of  the  means  of  protection. 

When  to  those  circumstances  must  be  added  the  grave  fact,  that 
of  all  the  numerous  cases  of  assassination  and  murderous  assaults 
committed  on  foreigners  during  the  last  eighteen  months,  the  offen- 
ders in  no  one  instance  have  boon  seized  or  justice  done,  it  is  evident 
to  demonstration  that  no  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  measures 
hitherto  taken  by  the  Government  to  secure  either  the  prevention  of 
similar  crimes  in  the  future  or  the  punishment  of  the  guilty. 

The  past  is  over  and  nothing  the  Japanese  Government  can  do 
now  will  bring  back  the  dead  to  life,  or  repair  the  wrong  done,  but  it  is 
otherwise  iu  regard  to  the  future  and  the  assured  immunity  of  crime 
is  fatal  to  our  security, — it  is  equivalent  to  a  Iloyal  License  to  kill  and 
slay,  under  which  all  who  are  capable  of  murder  (and  according  to 
Japanese  authority  the  number  is  large)  may  attack  and  kill  foreign- 
ers whenever  they  find  them  without  fear  or  hesitation,  so  perfectly 
are  they  assured  of  escape  without  danger  from  the  law. 

This  is  in  fact  to  outlaw  every  foreigner  and  to  place  the  Repre- 
scntatives  of  Foreign  States,  no  less  than  the  rest,  at  the  mercy  of 
whoever  may  find  pleasure  or  advantage  in  killing  them.  Under  such 
a  regime,  life  is  only  held  at  the  will  and  pleasure  of  every  ruffian  in 
the  Empire. 

This  may  well  seem  too  monstrous  and  too  opprobrious  to  be 
possible  in  the  least  civilized  of  states,  yet  I  have  only  stated  in  plain 
terms  the  exact  truth  susocptiblc  of  proof  by  facts  which  admit  of  no 


270  THE   NARRATIVE 


question,  facts  of  weekly  and  monthly  occurrence  in  the  actual  state 
of  affairs. 

I  need  not  ask  the  Japanese  Government  if  this  is  a  position 
which  they  think  fitting  for  the  Diplomatic  Agents  of  the  Great  West- 
ern Powers  in  treaty  with  Japan.  I  will  not  do  them  the  injury  to 
assume  for  a  moment  that  they  can  consider  it  possible  for  the 
Representatives  to.accept  such  a  position.  I  feel  sure  on  the  contrary, 
that  not  only  your  Excellencies,  but  the  Government  of  Japan,  aud-I 
could  hope  the  great  body  of  the  Daimios  and  governing  classes  in  the 
country,  regard  such  acts  of  murder  and  efforts  to  place  the  Ministers 
of  Foreign  Powers  under  a  regime  of  intimidation,  with  shame  and 
indignation.  But  granting  this  as  I  willingly  do,  whence  then  comes 
this  perfect  impunity  to  criminals  guilty  of  those  acts;  this  con- 
tinuance in  the  same  odious  and  disgraceful  policy?  It  is  for  the 
Government  to  answer ;  for  they  are  responsible  by  the  Law  of  Nations. 
In  the  eyes  of  all  the  world  they  are  responsible  for  the  maintenance 
of  order,  and  that  respect  for  the  laws  which  protect  life  and  property. 
If  they  fail  in  these,  they  cease  to  preserve  the  essential  character  of 
a  Government  and  lose  their  title  to  the  respect  of  Foreign  Powers, 
who  can  only  treat  with  those  who  govern  de  facto,  and  not  merely  in 
name.  This  is  indeed  the  very  condition  of  their  permanence  as  a 
Government,  and  they  cannot  forget  it  without  imminent  peril.  The 
Government  of  Japan  therefore  is  menaced  ih  its  own  existence  by 
such  a  state  of  misrule,  and  in  their  own  interest  I  must  urge  their 
actual  situation  upon  their  most  serious  attention.  It  is  or  should  be 
unnecessary  to  recapitulate  here  the  leading  facts  which  during  the 
eighteen  months  past,  ever  since  indeed  the  ports  were  opened  by 
treaty,  have  in  continual  sequence  tended  to  the  same  end,  namely  to 
render  the  position  of  Foreign  Representative  intolerable  and  un- 
tenable by  continual  menaces,  restrictions  to  his  free  intercourse,  and 
encroachments  on  his  independence,  by  assaults  unrepaired  and  un- 
punished, and  finally  by  insecurity  of  life.  And  a  like  series  of  events 
has  marked  our  relations  at  the  ports,  exposing  the  Foreign  residents 
to  similar  grievances,  with  a  systematic  disregard  of  all  the  rights  and 
privileges  guaranteed  to  them  by  Troaty, — Official  interference  in  the 
free  sale  and  purchase  of  produce,  obstructions,  restrictions,  exactions, 
— in  a  word  all  the  machinery  that  the  authorities  and  subordinate  offi- 
cials with  absolute  power  of  control  over  Japanese  subjects  could  devise 
for  their  own  profit  and  the  injury  of  Foreigners.  The  assassination 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  27! 


of  Mr.  Hcubken,  following  close  upon  menaces  of  a  general  massacre 
communicated  to  the  Foreign  Ministers  by  your  Excellencies,  followed 
up  again  by  the  intimidation  from  the  same  quarter  on  the  morning 
of  the  funeral,  when  the  Represeatatives  of  Foreign  Powers  were  all 
assembled  to  render  the  last  honours  to  the  murdered  that  they  them-', 
selves  were  in  danger  of  being  attacked  on  the  way  to  the  cemetery  if 
they  ventured  to  proceed,  was  more  'than  sufficient  to  remove  that 
last  trace  of  doubt  or  hesitation  iu  my  mind,  and  I  think  in  the  minds 
of  most  of  my  colleagues,  as  to  the  necessity  of  instant  and  decisive 
action  on  our  part.  But  lest  this  should  not  have  been  enough,  it 
seemed  as  if  it  had  been  determined  to  furnish  one.more  conclusive 
evidence  how  .little  the  Government  could  be  relied  on  for  our  deience 
and  protection,  by  leaving  the  whole  line  of  road,  more  than  a  mile  in 
length,  open  to  attack.  There  were  no  guards  on  the  ground,  or  extra- 
ordinary means  of  caution  and  protection  I  do  not  say  to  resist  an 
attack  it  had  sent  warning  was  to  be  feared,  but  to  prevent  the  possi- 
bility of  the  most  desperate  murderer  to  attempt  it.  Here  were  the 
lives  of  all  Foreign  Ministers  in  Yedo,  together  wfth  the  whole  of  their 
respective  Legations,  and  the  Consuls  from  Kanagawa  declared  by  the 
Government  to  be  in  immediate  danger, — they  were  all  at  one  spot 
assembled,  and  it  was  not  deemed  worth  while  apparently  to  adopt  a 
single  measure  for  their  defence  and  protection.  This  act  was  conclu- 
sive,— that  the  Government  should  allow  a  member  of  one  of  the  Lega- 
'tions,  to  be  murdered  while  the  whole  corps  diplomatic  was  under 
menace  of  a  similar  fate,  and  yet  consider  it  unnecessary  even  in  the 
cemetery  to  make  any  communication  to  Her  Majesty's  Minister  at 
this  Court,  whose  own  safety  and  that  of  his  Legation  were  in  ques- 
tion could  no  longer  be  a  subject  of  surprise.  The  courses  were  per- 
fectly consistent  with  each  other.  Moved  by  those  considerations,  aaid 
perfectly  convinced  by  all  the  experience  of  the  past  of  the  utter 
hopelessness  of  any  further  efforts  by  mere  remonstrance  on  the  spot 
to  effect  the  change  which  it  was  too  plain  could  not  be  deferred  with- 
out risk  of  the  greatest  complications,  and  it  might  be  a  real  calamity, 
if  unfortunately  further  lives  should  be  lost,  I  took  immediate  steps, 
after  the  funeral  to  communicate*  with  my  colleagues,  and  announced 
my  resolution  to  avert,  if  possible,  the  danger  I  foresaw  in  the  con- 
tinued supineness  of  the  Government. '  I  determined  with  this  view  to 
withdraw  temporarily  from  the  Legation  at  Yedo,  and  I  now  write  .to 
acquaint  you  that  I  have  carried  this  resolution  into  effect  and  that  I 


272  TJIE  NARRATIVE 


shall  take  up  my  residence  for  the  present  at  Kanagawa  or  Yokohama, 
where  I  can  not  only  command  measures  of  protection,  if  requiredr 
from  H.M.'s  ships,  but  also  take  such  steps  as  may  be  needful  for  the 
security  of  my  countrymen. 

There,  I  shall  wait  with  calmness  the  result  'of  further  communi- 
cation with  the  Government  of  the  Tycoon,  free  for  the  first  time 
for  eighteen  months,  if  not  from  the  menaces  of  assassination,  at  least 
from  Any  anxiety  of  such  threats  being  immediately  carried  into 
execution,  to  the  peril  and  disgrace  of  Japan. 

I  trust  your  Excellencies  and  the  Council  of  State,  to  whofn  I 
pray  you  to  communicate  this  dispatch,  will  see  in  this  decision  an 
earnest  desire  to  avoid  to  the  utmost,  and  as  long  as  possible,  a  cause 
of  rupture  or  more  serious  complications,  but  also  a  firm  resolution  to 
insist  upon  such  total  changes  in  the  policy  hitherto  pursued  towards 
British  subjects  in  common  with  all  other  foreigners  as  shall  give 
that  security  to  life  and  property,  and  full  enjoyment  of  Treaty-rights, 
which  they  are  entitled  to  demand.  My  long  continued  personal  re- 
lations with  your  Excellencies,  and  their  uniformly  friendly  character, 
lead  me  to  hope  that  sharing  in  the  regret  I  feel  for  this  untoward 
impediment  to  a  good  understanding  you  will  see  the  necessity  of 
similar  decisive  action  with  your  colleagues  in  the  Government,  that 
this  standing  reproach  may  be  removed.  The  faction  of  violent  and 
unscrupulous  advocates  for  a  system  of  terrorism  and  assassination, 
whom  I  must  suppose  to  be  the  real  authors  of  such  troubles  rrmst  be 
controlled,  whatever  be  the  rank  or  number  of  these  concerned,  or 
nothing  but  grievous  consequences,  from  which  Japan  will  be  the  first 
and  greatest  sufferer,  can  follow,  in  spite  of  the  sacrifice  and  efforts 
I  am  now  making  to  prevent  such  a  catastrophe.  The  Government  in 
a  word  must  show  that  it  has  the  will  and  ability  to  impose  respect 
upon  all  the  disaffected  spirits  who  would  seek  for  their  own  ends,  to 
disturb  the  good  relations  hitherto  existing  between  the  Treaty  powert 
and  Japan,  and  which  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain  the  Government  of 
Her  Majesty  is  most  anxious  to  maintaiu  for  the  mutual  advantage  of' 
both  countries.  They  must  no  longer  be  permitted  to  take  life 
with  assured  impunity,  and  follow  out  a  system  of  intimidation  in  the 
vain  hope  of  driving  foreigners  out  of  the  country  by  murder  and 
terrorism.  Europe  united  would  resist  the  attempt  and  render  its 
success  impossible  and  punish  the  authors  of  such  an  outrage  on  the 
law  and  right  of  nations.  -Gould  they  even  temporarily  effect  their 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  273 


object  and  murder  every  foreigner,  Japan  would  be  the  most  grievous 
sufferer.   - 

Even  were  such  a  flagitious  policy  ever  to  be  carried  out,  the 
whole  country  would  fall  under  the  law  of  civilized  nations,  and  be  dealt 
with  as  a  common  enemy.  I  trust  for  the  interest  of  humanity  such 
deplorable  contingencies  may  be  rendered  impossible,  and  that  both 
the  Government  and  the  pedple  of  Japan  will  be  convinced  that  their 
policy  is  faithfully  to  fulfil  their  engagements  and  to  maintain  friendly 
relations  with  a  Power  which  has  at  its  diposal  ample  means  for  obtain- 
ing, in  case  of  need,  redress  for  injuries  done  to  its  subjects.  I  have 
only  in  conclusion  to  urge  upon  the  Government,  the  importance  pf 
putting  a  speedy  end  to  the  present  exceptional  state  of  affairs. 

I  am  anxious  for  a  peaceable  and  satisfactory  termination,  and 
ready  to  return  to  thfe  Legation  and  resume  niy  duties  at  Yedo 
whenever  I  can  see  such  material  guarantee  for  redress  in  respect  to 
past  grievances  and  security  for  the  future  as  may  warrant  this  step 
I  have  in  the  meantime  left  all  my  property  undisturbed  in  charge  of 
the  officers  in  my  house,  for.  the  safety  of  which  the  Government^  will 
of  course  be  responsible. 

Whether  my  return  will  be  prompt  or  tardy  therefore  depends, 
entirely  upon  the  Japanese  Government.  Sooner  or  later  it'is  certain 
that  the  Representative  of  Great  Britain  will  return  to  Yedo,  the 
place  of  residence  assigned  by  Treaty  ;  but  if  speedily  there  will  be  leas 
time  for  new  complications  to  arise,  and  affairs  may  be  more  easily 
arranged  with  mutual  benefit  and  on  a  better  footing  than  hitherto, 
to  my  regret,  has  been  found  possible,  if  no  time  be  lost. 

With  respect  and  consideration, 

(Signed.)        RUTHERFORD  ALCOCK, 

H.  B.  M.'s  Minister,  Ac.,  Ac. 

February  i$th.  Owing  to  the  sad  death  of  Mr. 
Heuskens,  the  Interpreter,  to  the  U.  S.  Legation, 
some  correspondence  was  said  to  have  taken  place 
between  the  English  and  the  American  Ministers 
to  the  Court  of  Yedo.  The  letter  addressed  by 
the  U.  S.  Minister  to  the  British  .Representative 


274  THE    NARRATIVE 


was  sent  down  and  circulated  among  the  American 
residents  both  at  Kanagawa  and  Yokohama  for 
their  information.  It  ran  as  following : — 

Legation  of  the  U.  S.  iu  Japan,    . 

Ycdo,  February  12th,  1861. 

SIB, — I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  note  dated  the 
22nd  ultimo ;  transmitting  a  compte-rendu  of  the  conferences  held  on 
the  19th  and  21st  January  at  H.  B.  M.'s  Legation  in  this  pity  by  the 
Eepresentatives  of  the  Foreign  Powers  then  here. 

The  compte-rendu  correctly  states  that  the  American  Minister 
was  not  present  at  the  conference  of  the  21st  January,  but  fails  to 
state  that  he  was  not  invited  to,  assist  at  that  meeting. 

You  request  me  to  sign  a  protocol  to  the  effect  that  the  compte- 
rendu  is  a  correct  record  of  the  conferences  above  referred  to:  You 
must  be  aware  that  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  certify  to  the  correctness 
of  the  report  of  the  conference  Held  on  the  21st  January,  as  the 
only  knowledge  I  have  of  that  conference  is  derived  from  the  compte- 
rendu  itself.-  The  conclusion  at  which  you  and  mjy  other  Colleagues 
arrived  may  be  stated  as  follows. — That  no  confidence  can  be  placed 
in  the  good  faith  of  the  Japanese  Government,  that  the  members  of 
the  different  Legations  are  exposed  to  assassination  by  remaining  in 
this  city,  and  that  for  the  double  purpose  of  securing  personal  safety, 
and  to  produce  a  sensible  effect  on  this  Government,  it  is  advisable 
that  the  Legations  should  retire  to  Yokohama.  It  i§  my  misfortune 
to  be  of  a  different  opinion,  and  I  shall  briefly  state  my  reasons  for 
that  difference. 

The  Japanese  Government  has  constantly,  warned  the  diplomatic 
Representatives  of  existing  danger,  from  the  first  day  of  their  arrival 
in  this  city,  and  shown  its  anxiety  to  secure  their  protection. 

It  was  only  desired  that  foreigners  should  use  the  same  means 
of  protection  which  the  Japanese  use  universally  among  themselves. 
It  is  well  known  that  those  of  a  rank  corresponding  to  Foreign 
Ministers  have  their  houses  surrounded  by  a  large  number  of  guards, 
and  that  they  never  go  o.ut  without  being  accompanied  by  a 
numerous  train-  of  armed  attendants.  Is  it  just  therefore  to  require 
the  Japanese  to  profect  us  with  other  appliance*  than  those  used  for 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  275 


their  own  security  ?  If  the  Japanese  were  acting  in  bad  faith,  if  they 
Meally  desired  the  assassination  of  the  Foreign  Ministers,  a  simple 
expression  of  such  a  wish  could  be  sufficient  and  the  work  could  be 
done  in  a  single  hour.  We  hare  lived  in  Yedo  aboufc  nineteen  months 
in  safety,  and  this  fact  is  proof  of  the  desire  and  ability  of  the 
Government  to  give  us  protection.  The  murder  of  Mr.  Heuskens,  the 
able  and  faithful  Interpreter  of  this  Legation  which  all  lament  and 
I  deplore,  was  owing  to  the  disregard  of  the  repeated  .warnings  of 
the  Japanese  Government  against  his  constant  exposure  of  himself 
at  iiight,  and  his  death  was  the  consummation  of  the  fears  I  have  felt 
ever  since  my  arrival  at  Yedo. 

In  judging  of  the  acts  of  this  Government,  it  is  important  that 
the  political  antecedents  he  taken  into  consideration.  ,  _For  more  than 
two  centuries  this  country  has  been  hermetically  closed  against  for- 
eigners ;  this  barrier  so  rigidly  maintained  is  suddenly  removed,  and 
the  country  opened  to  foreign  intercourse. 

It  is  well  known  that  a  large  party  of  men  of  high  rank  are 
opposed  to  the  new  order  of  things  'initiated  by'  the  treaty,  and  that 
in  this  city  that  opposition  is  concentrated  and  in  its  greatest  inten- 
sity. The  manifestations  of  ill-will  are  principally  confined  to  the 
followers  of'the  Duimios,  and  present  a  reflex  of  the  opinions  of  their 
chiefs.  It  is  unquestionable  in  my  mind  that  the  enormous- enhance- 
ment of  the  prices  of  articles  of  general  consumption,  consequent 
upon  the  admission  of  foreign  commerce  has  intensified  their  feelings 
of  opposition.  A  Government  may  make  treaties  and  observe  their 
stipulation!'  but  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  any  Government  to  control 
public  opinion.  It  strikes  me  that  the  arguments  at  the  conference 
referred  to  are  based  upon  Ihe  assumption  that  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment represented  a  civilization  on  a  par  with  that  of  the  Western 
world.  This  is  a  grave  error, — the  Japanese  are  not  a  civilized  but  a 
semi-'Civilized  people,  and  the  condition  of  affairs  in  this  country  is 
quite  analogous  to  that  of  the  (Western  world)  Europe  during  Ihe 
middle  ages. 

To  demand  therefore  of  the  Japanese  Government  the  samo 
observances,  the  same  prompt  administration  of  justice  as  is  found  in 
civilized  lauds,  is  simply  to  demand  an  impossibility,  and  to  hold  that 
Government  responsible  for  the  isolated  acts  of  private  individuals, 
I  believe  to  be  wholly  unsustained  by  international  law.  This  princi- 
ple is  not  aoted  on  in  the  Western  world.  Not  long  ago,  a  London 


276  THE   NARRATIVE 


jury  exultingly  acquitted  a  conspirator  against  the  Emperor  of  the 
French.  I  did  not  learn  that  the  French  Legation  retired  to  Dover  in 
consequence  of  the  failure  of  justice.  Again  in  one  of  the  greatest 
thoroughfares  of  Naples,  the  French  Minister  was  savagely  assaulted 
at  midday,  and  although  hundreds  of  people  witnessed  the  assault, 
the  would-be  assassins  effected  their  escape  and  to  this  day  have  not 
been  arrested.  Did  the  French  Legation  retire  from  Naples  in  con- 
sequence of  the  failure  to  arrest  the  criminal  ? 

lu  March  last  the  Regent  of  Japan  was  assassinatfed.  Only  part  of 
llio  murderers  have  thus  far  been  arrested,  and  of  those  not  one  has 
been  punished  yet.  This  delay  in  inflicting  punishment  on  the  assas- 
sins of  one  so  exalted  in  rank  as  the  Regent  shows  that  the  Japanese 
mode  of  procedure  is  different  from  that  of  the  Western  World. 

I  desire  to  put  upon  record  my  firm  belief  that  so  long  as  I  observe 
the  precautions  recommorided  by  the  Japanese  Government  and  used 
by  the  Japanese  themselves,  my  residence  in  this  city  is  a  perfectly 
safe  one.  To  retire  to  Yokohama  with  the  intention  of  producing  an 
effect  upon  the  Japanese  Government  will  I  think,  prove  a  mistake. 
There  was  not  one  article  in  the  American  Treaty  more  difficult  to 
obtain  than  the  one  securing  residence  in  Yodo  of  the  Diplomatic 
Representative  of  the  U.  S.  The  commissioners  on  that  occasion 
warned  me  of  the  grave  difficulties  which  a  residence  of  a  Foreign 
Minister  was  sure  to  create  in  Yedo,  and  they  were  very  solicitous 
that  I  should  accept  a  permanent  residence  in  Kanagawa  or  Kawasaki 
with  the  right  to  come  to  Yedo  whenever  my  duty  required. 

This  retirement  of  the  Foreign  Legations  to  Yokohama  is  exactly 
what  the  Government  desires,  as  it  relieves  them  from  great  anxiet}1, 
responsibility  and  expense,  -and  they  allege  that  the  Legations  can  be 
more  conveniently  pioteeted  at  Yokohama  than  in  Yedo.  Instead 
therefore  of  the  retirement  giving  offense  to  the  Japanese  Government, 
it  will  be  held  by  them  as  a  very  desirable  result,  and  I  apprehend 
that,  a  residence  there  will  lead  the  Japanese  mind  to  confound  the 
Foreign  Representatives  with  the  Foreign  traders,  an  effect  which  can- 
iiot  fail  to  injure  both  their  prestige  and  influence. 

For  the  reasons  thus  '  briefly  set  fortli  T  deprecate  the  action  of 
iny'colleagues,  believing  as  I  do  that  without  producing  any  beneficial 
effect  it  is  an  important  step  towards  a  war  with  this  country.  The 
people  of  this  country  (Japan)  cannot  be  raised  to  our  standard  of  civili- 
zation by  the  stroke  of  a  diplomatic  peu  nor  even  if  they  have  fifty 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


thousand  soldiers  for  their  school-master.  It  is  only  time,  patience 
and  forebearauco,  that  can  produce  this  desirable  result.  I  had  hoped 
that  the  page  of  future  history  might  record  the  great  fact  that  in 
one  spot  in  the  Eastern  world,  the  advent  «f  Christian  civilization  did 
not  bring  with  it  its  usual  attendants  of  rapine  and  bloodshed.  This 
iond  hope' I  fear  is  to  be  disappointed.  I  could  sooner  see'  all  tlio 
Treaties  with  this  country  torn  up,  and  Japan  turn  to  its  old  state  of 
isolation  than  witness  the  horrors  of  war  inflicted  on  tthis  peaceful 
people  and  happy  land. 

Permit  me  to  request  ^you  to  transmit  a  copy  of  this  note  to  your 
'Government  to  be  annexed  to  the  compte-rendu  of  the  conference 
held  on  the  19th  and  21st  January.  I  have  the  honor  to  be  Sir, 

Your  obedient  Servant, 

TOWXSEND  HOWIS, 

U.  S.  Minister  Resident. 
To  RUTHERFORD  ALCOCK,  Esg., 

H.  B.  M.'s  Envoy  Extraordinary, 

Minister  Plenipotentiary,  «fec.,  Ac. 

March  ist,  1861.  We  had  been  carrying  on 
business  for,  about  a  year,  but  the  results  had  not 
been  brilliant  and  the  future  prospects  were  not 
very  promising.  So  my  partner  and  I  agreed  to 
dissolve  the  partnership,  he  to  start  on  his  own 
account,  and  I  on  mine.  No  sooner  had  we 
separated  than  business  began  to  crowd  in  upon 
me  and  in  a  short  time  I  found  I  had  more  than 
I  could  overtake.  Shortly  after  my  old  friend, 
Thomas  Troy,  turned  ijp  in  Yokohama,  and  I  was 
delighted  to  employ  him  as  my  clerk. 

July  5th,  1861.  We  received  intelligence  that 
the  British  Legation  had  been  attacked  by  the  Mito 
rown  and  that  several  persons  had  been  wounded. 


278  THE    NARRATIVE 


The  attack  was   made  soon  after  the  Minister's 
return  overland  from  Nagasaki  and  his  ascent  of 
Fuji-yama. 

September  i6th.  For  the  past  six  or  eight 
months  I  had  been  frequently  warned  by  the  native 
authorities  of  Kanagawa  and  Yokohama  to  be  care- 
ful of  myself.  They  cautioned  me  not  to  ride  out 
on  the  1  dkaido,  or  to  any  place  at  all  distant  from 
the  Foreign  Settlement,  inasmuch  as  it  was  a  well- 
ascertained  fact  that  several  ronin  deemed  me 
worthy  of  their  attention,  and  were  on  the  outlook 
for  me  to  cut  me  down.  There  warnings  had  of 
late  waxed  far  too  frequent  for  my  comfort.  At 
the  same  time  I  had' some  idea  of  making  a  visit 
to  America,  partly  in  order  to  take  some  presents 
to  my  friends  who  had-  been  so  kind  to  me  during 
my  sojourn  in  that  country,  and  partly  to  obtain 
the  post  of  U.  S.  Naval  store-keeper,  inasmuch  as 
this  position  would  entitle  me,  to  gold  bands  on  my 
cap  and  so  place  me  on  an  equality  with  the  native 
officials.  So  I  got  ready  and  started  in  the  ship 
Carrington,  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  on  Octo- 

d 

her  1 6th,  after  a  passage  of  29  days. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  2/9 


XXIII. 

October  ijth.  I  called  on  my  old  employer 
and  friend  Mr.  T.  G.  Gary,  Jr.,  and  stated  the  ob- 
ject of  my  visit.  I  distributed  the  presents  I  had 
brought  for  my  San  Francisco  friends,  and  the  dis- 
posal of  such  goods  as  I  liad  brought  for  sale  I 
entrusted  to  Mr.  Gary. 

November  loth.  On  hearing  of  my  wish  to 
get  an  appointment  from  the  U.  S.  Government, 
Mr.  Gary  Advised  me  not  to  write  but  to  go  in  per- 
son to  Washington.  He  said  that  this  would  ex- 
pedite die  matter  greatly,  and  that  he  would  obtain 
for  me  a  memorial  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
from  the  Bankers  and  Merchants  of  San  Francisco. 

November  12th.  I  was  sent  for  by  Mr.  Mudge, 
the  chief  of  the  appraiser's  office  in  the  Custom 
House,  to  give  some  infprmatipn  with  respect  to 
certain  Japanese  porcelain  and  lacquer-ware  which 
had  come  by  the  Carrington.  One  of  her  passen- 
gers had  sold  his  vessel,  and  with  the  proceeds 
had  invested  in  curios  to  the  extent  of  over  $i  5,000. 
The  ware  was  of  a  common  kind  enough,  but  it 
was  new  and  strange  to  the  Custom-House  autho- 
rities and  they  fancied  that  its  value  was  under- 


28O  THE    NARRATIVE 


stated  in  the  invoices.  I  gave  them  an  estimate  of 
the  cost  of  the  goods  in  Yokohama,  and  my  valua- 
tion proved  satisfactory  both  to  the  authorities  and 
the  owners  of  the  goods. 

A  few  days  lates  I  started  for  the  East,  furnish- 
ed with  the  following  documents : — 

San  Francisco,  November  13th,  1861. 

To  the  Hon.  GIDKON  WKLLBS, 

Secretary  of  Navy. 

Sat, — We  beg  respectfully  to  recommend  to  your  notice,  Mr.  J.  Hcco 
as  a  suitable  person  to  fill  the  office  of  the  U.  S.  Naval  Store-keeper  at 
Kanagawa,  Japan.  Mr.  Heco  is  a  Japanese  by  birth,  but  a  naturalized 
•citizen  of  the  United  States — having  lived  for  several  years  in  this 
country.  He  speaks  the  English'lauguage  fluently  and  has  received 
a  thorough  mercantile  education  in  this  city.  lu  1858  Mr.  Heco  re- 
turned to  Japan,  in  the  employment  of  the  U.  S.  Government  and 
was  of  great  service  to  the  American  Consul  at  Kauagavva,  as  Inter- 
preter. Mr.  Heco's  object  in  applying  for  the  office  is  to  obtain  a 
rank  in  the  employ  of  the  U.  S.  Government,  which  will  place  him  ou 
•equal  footing  with  the  Japanese  officials. 

We  know  Mr.  Heco  to  be  a  persou  of  worth  and  integrity,  and 
have-  no  doubt  lie  will  be  of  great  service  to  the  U.  S.  Government  if 
he  is  placed  in  a  position  where  he  can  act  directly  with  the  Japanese 
<>!lic>al-;. 

We  are,  with  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  Servants, 

(Signed.)        THOS.  G.  GARY. 

MACONDRAY  &  Co. 
WM!  COLEMAN  &  Co. 
FLINT  PEABODY  &  Co. 
TALLENT  &  WILD. 
HENRY  HENTCH. 
C.  ADOLPH  LAW  &  Co. 
CHAS.  BROOKS  &  Co. 
WM.  NEWWELL  &  Co. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  281 


Custom-house,  San  Francisco, 

Collector's  office,  November  14tli,  1861. 

The  signers  of  the  above  memorial  arc  Merchants  and  Banker*  of 
high  standing,  aud  their  representations  arc  entitled  to  great  weight. 
I  entirely  concur  in  them.  If  is  within  my  own  knowledge  also,  that 
Mr.  Heco  stands  very  high  at  Kanagawa.  I  have  no  doubt  if  an 
appointmen ,«  of  the  kind  referred  to  is  to  he  made,  his  appointment 
would  be  very  beneficial  to  this  country. 

(Signed.)        IB.*.  P.  RANKIN,  Collector. 
JAS.  T.  McLEAR,  Surveyor. 
',/'-          KK.H.  CHIVENY,  Navy  Agent. 

W.  B.  PABWELL,  Naval  Officer. 
./r,,  SAMI..  M-UDGE,  Appraiser. 

",,  "  S.  H".  PARKER,  Paymaster. 

„  •   ROBT.  STKVKXS,  Superintendent, 

U.  S.  Branch  Mint. 

We  arrived  at  Panama  in  due  course,,  crossed 

I 

the  Isthmus  and  got  on  board  the  Company's 
steamer  Champion  bound  for  New  York.  On  the 
morning  of  December  i4th,  1861,  when  off  the 
Island  of  St.  Domingo,  we  sighted  a  steamer  cross- 
ing our  starboard  bow.  She  was  under  sail  and 
showing  signals  of  distress.  .Our  Captain  took  the 
precaution  of  changing  our  course  so  as  to  bear 
down  upon  the  steamer  without  those  on  board 
being  able  to  iriake  out  the  exact  build  of  our 
vessel.  This  was  because  several  Southern  priva- 
teers were  known  to  be  at  work  in  these  waters, 
some  of  which  liad  lately  done  a  deal  of  mischief. 

When  the  stranger  saw  us  bearing  down  upon 
him  at  full  speed,  he  set  all  sail,  got  up  steam  and 
tried  hard  to  run  out  of  our  course.  It  was  plain 


282  THE   NARRATIVE 


that  he  took  us  for  a  U.  S.  warship.  When  he 
discovered  that  we  were  only  a  private  mail-boat, 
he  again  hung  out  signals  of  distress.  Then  when 
our  Captain  paid  no  attention  to  this,  but  drove  on 
straight  ahead  as  fast  as  steam  would  carry  him, 
the  stranger  gave  chase.  But  it  was  to  no  pur- 
pose. Afterwards  we  learned  that  it  was  the  pri- 
vateer *Sumter,  commanded  by  Capjt.  Sumner,  that 
had  been  trying  to  play  tricks  upon  us. 

December  i6th.  About  2  p.m.  we  sighted  the 
entrance  to  New  York  Harbour,  and  the  pilot 
came  on  board  with  an  armful  of  newspapers. 
Our  passengers  fell  upon  them  with  avidity,  for 
they  were  all  wild  to  learn  the  war  news.  The  head- 
ings of  the  articles  were  of  this  cast :  The  grand 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  move  at  an  early  date  ;  A 
Great  Battle  imminent;  Tlie  Soutlurn  Army 
100,000  strong  marching  on  Washington;  One  of 
the  Federal  Colonels  to,  be  tried  for  treason ;  The 
British  Government  make  a  formal  demand  on  Un- 
cle Sam  to  deliver  up  Mason  and  Slidell. 

Our  passengers  were  all  wildly  excited  at  this 
and  especially  so  over  the  British  demand.  Some 
asserted  that  the  U.  S.  Government  would  never 
surrender  Mason  and  Slidell,  while  others  shook 
their  heads  and  said  that  if  the  men  were  not  given 
up  war  would  inevitably  follow,  for  the  English  would 
never  let  the  matter  rest  as  it  was. 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  28 


December  ijth.  After  calling  on  my  friend's 
uncle's  firm,  Gary  &  Co.,  I  was  taken  ill  and  obliged 
to  go  to  bed.  It  turned  out  to  be  measles  that  was 
the  matter.  It  •  was  rather  odd  that  just  at  that 
time  measles  were  raging  in  Japan,  while  I  did  not 
hear  or  see  in  the  papers  anything  about  the  pre- 
valence of  the  disease  in  America. 

\  i 

Decembei'  2Qth.  I  started  for  Boston  to 
deliver  the  letters  of  introduction  I  had  from  Mr. 
Gary  to  his  brother-in-law  Prof.  Agassiz  and  ta 
Prof.  Fulton.  I  went  to  Cambridge  and  called  on 
my  friend's  mother,  Mrs.  Cary.  She  received  me 
very  kindly,  and  said  that  although  she  had  never 
seen  me,  yet  my  name  was  a  household  word  in 
the  family.  She  invited  me  to  come  -to  dinner  next 
day  at  two  o'clock  to  meet  and  have  a  talk  with 
Profs.  Agas$iz  and  Fulton. 

On  December  3ist,  I  went  to  Mrs.  Gary's 
where  I  found  Mr.  Cary,  her  daughter  and  Prof. 
Agassiz.  I  handed  him  the  letter  of  introduction 
I  had  from  his  brother-in-law  (Mr.  T.  G.  Cary,  Jr.). 
He  read  it  and  said  that  he  would  give  me  letters 
to  Secretary  Seward,  Senator  Sumuer  and  others, 
which  would  help,  to  carry  my  business  through. 

At  dinner  the  Professor  asked'  me  about  my 
own  country  and  more  especially  about  its  Natural 
History.  He  was  very  anxious  to  obtain  speci- 
mens and  asked  me  if  possible  to  send  him  some 


284  THE   NARRATIVE 


when  I  got  back.  I  promised  to  do  so,  and  some 
time  after  my  return  I  did  send  him  about  20  cases 
of  butterflies  and  other  entomological  specimens. 
They  were  shipped  on  the  good  ship  Contest,  'but 
like  many  another  good  ship  of  that  time  she  had 
the  ill-luck  to  run  across  tho  Alabama.  The  inter- 
view took  place  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
my  poor  butterflies  never  got  near  America. 

Mrs:  Cafy  was  very  interested  in  our  country 
and  about  the  East  generally.  She  was  about  72 
or^3  years  of  age,  but  hale  and  active.  It  was  a 
matter  of  bitter  regret  to  me  that  her  husband,  the 
gentleman  who  had  written  me  such  kind  letters 
when  I  was  in  difficulties,  had  gone  to  another 
world  and  was  no  more.  Thus  I  never  had  the 
chance  of  seeing  him  or  of  thanking  him  in  person 
for  all  the  kindnesses  he  had  rendered  me. 

After  dinner  the  Professor  wrote  several  letters 
and  handed  them  to  me — all  of  them  open.  From 
them  I  could  see  that  he  was  on  very  intimate 
terms' with  those  he  addressed,  as  the  terms- and 
•expressions  he  used  were  in  a  most  familiar  style. 

When  I  returned  to  my  hotel  I  found  a  young 
.gentleman  waiting  for  me.  He  was  young  Mr. 
Temple  of  Dorchester.  He  had  been  sent  by  his 
father  to  invite  me  to  stay  in  his' family  while  I  was 
there  and  would  not  take  "no"  for  an  answer  to 
his  invitation.  So  I  gladly  accepted  and  went. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  285 


The  family  treated  me  as  if  they  had  known  me 
for  an  age,  although  the  only  shadow  of  a  claim  I 
had  upon  their  hospitality  was  that  young  Mr. 
Temple's  uncle  (Mr.  Pope)  had  been  a  fellow- 
passenger  of  mine  when  I  came  East  from  Cali- 
fornia with  Senator  Gwin.  The  Temples  and  their 
relatives  were  very  strict  religious  people ;  I  think 
they  belonged  to  the  so-called  Puritan  Sect.  I  was 
still  suffering  from  the  fag-end  of  the  attack  of 
measles  I  had  in  New  York,  and  the  attention  they 
showed  me  under  the  circumstances  was  even  more 
than  I  could  have  looked  for  in  my  own  home. 

January  ist,  1862-.  I  got  up  early,  remember- 
ing it  was  the  New  Year.  But  to  my  urttold  sur- 
prise there  were  no  signs  of  a  holiday  whatsoever. 
Business  was  everywhere  in  full  swing  as  usual. 
So  I  went  to  Boston  and  called  on  several  firms 
to  whom  I  had  letters.  Among  others  I  called  on 
a  Mr.  Boardman  who  I  was  informed  was  the 
owner  of  the  barque  that  had  picked  us  up  in 
1850. 

After  a  stay  of  two  days  at  Dorchester,  and 
two  more  at  New  York  I  returned  to  Baltimore. 
I  called  on  my  old  gentleman,  Mr.  Sanders,  and  he 
at  once  invited  me  to  stay  with  him.  He  was  .high- 
ly delighted  to  see  me,  he  said.  When  I  told  him 
the  object  of  my  visit  he  said  that  he  would  go  with 
me  to  Washington,  introduce  me  to  Senator 


286  THE   NARRATIVE 


Latham,  and  secure  his  aid  to, get  the  appointment 
for  me. 

January  jth.  We  reached  Washington  arid 
drove  up  to  Willard  Hotel.  We  found  the  place 
filled  to  overflowing  with 'officers  in  uniform  from 
all  parts  of.  the  country.  Had  Mr.  Sanders  not 
been  with  me  L  assuredly  should  have  been  room- 
less. But  as  he'happened  to  know  the  proprietor 
and  to  be  a  frequent  visitor,  the  landlord  alloted  us 
one  room  in  common,  expressing  his  regret  at  be- 
ing utterly  unable  to  give  us  a  room  each. 

The  dining-room  presented  a  gay  scene. 
Everywhere  were  caps  with  gold-bands, ,  every- 
where men  with  shoulder-straps  and  brass  buttons. 
And  everywhere  above  the  clatter  of  forks  and 
knive,s  and  plates  resounded  the  hum  of  talk,  and 
that  talk  was  all  about  war  and  slaughter  and  the 
movement  of  armies. 

On  the  way  from  Baltimore  I  had  observed 
that  nearly  the  whole  extent  of  the  road  from  there 
to  Washington  was  lined  with  tents.  Most  of  the 
men  under  canvas  appeared  to  be  raw  recruits, 
evidently  in  evil  plight  by  reason  of  the  inclement 
sky  that  had  been  shooting  down  driving  showers 
of  rain  and  whirling  sleet  upon  them  for  the  last  few 
days.  For  all  the  world  their  seeming  was  that  of 
sick  chickens  in  the  midst  of  an  autumn  downpour. 
In  the  city  were  throngs  upon  throngs  of  strangers  ; 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  287 


all  these  I  was  told  were  there  to  witness  the  great 
strife  then  raging  between  the  North  and  South. 
The' place  was  under  martial  law,  with  a  guard 
of  30,000  armed  men  to  keep  it  safe. 

fa  the  evening  we  called  on  the  Californian 
Senator,  Mr.  Latham,  and  his  wife.  We  were  re- 
ceived with  great  kindness  and  consideration,  but 
this  being  a  formal  call,  we  refrained  from  touch- 
ing on  the  special  business  that  had  brought  us.  I 
only  hinted  that  I  had  brought  letters  from  Califor- 
nia for  him,  saying  that  I  would  call  with  thejn  next 
morning.  .  Upon  this  the  Senator  said  that  he 
would  be  busy  in  the  morning,  and  invited  Mr. 
Sanders  and  myself  to  dine  with  him  and  his  family 
in  the  evening  when  we  could  talk  over  business 
at  our  leisure. 

Next  morning  I  went  and  called  upon  several 
of  my  old  friends,  among  others  on  Mr.  Wallace, 
Editor  and  Proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading  papers, 
and  who  had  been  very  kind  to  me  during  my 
previous  visit.  On  my  way  to  the  Capital  I  met 
the  Hon.  H.  May  of  Maryland.  He  conducted  me 
to  the  Senate  Chambers,  and  from  .there  to  the 
Supreme  Court.  As  we  entered  he  intrbduced  me 
to  several  of  the  Judges,  among  whom  one  in  parti- 
cular, Justice  Craine  I  think,  was  very  kind,  and 
asked  me  many  questions  about  my  country.  He 
seemed  to  take  quite  a  deal  of  interest  in  Japan 


288  THE    NARRATIVE 


and  in  myself,  and  even  invited  me  to  his  residence. 
About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  our  entrance  the 
sitting  of  the  Court  began.  I  observed  that  there 
were  five  Justices,  all  with  long  black  cloaks  wrap- 
ped around  them.  They  sat  "in  arm-chairs  listening 
patiently  to  the  statements  of  Counsel.  Those 
who  went  to  hear  the  cases  were  just  as  still  as 
though  they  had  been  made  of  wood;  or  were  so 
many  figures  of  stone.  One  could  hear  even  the 
dropping  of  a  pin. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  Hotel,  I  found  that  my 
old  gentleman  had  finished  his  business  and  gone 
back  to  Baltimore,  leaving  a  message  widi  me  for 
the  Senator. 

In  the  evening  I  went  and  dii>ed  with  the 
Senator.  Before  dinner  I  handed  him  several 
letters  of  introduction  from  friends  in  California, 
and  also  shewed  him  the  memorial  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  drawn  up  by  the  San  Francisco  mer- 
chants and  bankers.  He  read  them  and  said :- — 

"  You  have  the  strongest  recommendations,  for 
the  signers  of  the  memorial  are  the  most  noted 
and  influential  men  in  San  Francisco,  an4  I  am 
pretty  sure  you  will  get  the  appointment.  How- 
ever, you  had  better  bring  these  documents  to- 
morrow at  nine  o'clock,  and  I  will  go  with  you  to 
see  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  about  it." 

About  10  o'clock  I  took  my  leave.     While  on 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  289 


my  way  towards  the  Hotel  I  was  accosted  by  a 
soldier  standing  in  the  street  with  a  rifle  in  his 
hand,  whom  I  took  be  one  of  the  city-guard. 

He  called  out  "  Who  goes  there  ? "  or  words 
to  that  effect.  I  had  no  idea  that  he  was  speaking 
to  me,  so  I  went  on  towards  him.  Suddenly  he  re- 
peated the  words,  and  raised  his  rifle  and  pointed  it 
at  me.  As  quick  as  thought  I  called  out  "  Friend," 
upon  which  he  brought  his  gun  to  its  former 
position  and  I  passed  on  safely.  I  was  told  after- 
wards that  on  account  of  the  war  the  city  was 
under  martial  law,  and  that  after '9  p.m.  all  pas- 
sengers were  saluted  in  die  same  unceremonious 
fashion  as  I  had  been  by  the  soldiers  on  guard. 

January  yth.  I  went  to  the  Senator's  with  all 
the  documents  and  together  we  set  out  for  the 
Navy  Department.  We  walked  into  the  Sec- 
retary's office,  where  we  found  Mr.  G.  Weller 
writing  something  with  his  spectacles  on.  The 
Senator  walked  up  to  him,  shook  hands,  intro- 
duced me  to  him,  told  him  the  object  of  our  visit, 
and  handed  him  the  memorial.  The  Secretary- 
read  it,  and  then  turning  to  the  Senator  delivered 
himself  as  follows  : — 

"Senator,  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  with 
the  present  trouble,  I  cannot  make  any  increase  in 
the  staff  of  the  Naval  depot  in  the  East.  Besides, 
it  is  possible  that  we  may  have  to  order  home  the 


290  THE    NARRATIVE 


one  single  vessel  that  is  out  there  at  present.  So 
I  cannot  very  well  comply  with  the  wishes  of  the 
memorialists.  I  recommend  you  to  see  Seward 
who  has  charge  of  the  Legations  and  Consulates 
out  there.  Take  this  and  shew  it  to  him." 

So  saying  he  handed  back  the  memorial,  and 
the  Senator  and  I  took  our  leave  and  set  our 
faces  towards  the  State  Department.  When  we 
entered  that  Department  we  found  Mr.  Seward 
busy  signing  thousands  of  passports  for  military 
men  and  others.  These  passports  were  strewn  in 
wild  confusion  all  over  the  floor.  Mr.  Seward 
glanced  at  us  as  we  entered  and  said  "  How  do  you 
do,  Senator?"  and  shook  hinds  with  him.  The 
Senator  then  tried  to  introduce  me,  but  Mr.  Seward 
interrupted  him  saying. 

"  Why,  Senator,  I  know  him.  This  is  my  old 
acquaintance  and  friend  who  was  here  with  your 
predecessor  Senator  Gwin ! " 

Then  he  turned  to  me  remarking  that  I  had 
grown  greatly  since  the  last  time  he  had  seen  me. 

The  Senator  explained  our  business  and  hand- 
ed him  the  memorial.  Mr.  Seward  read  it  and 
said : — 

"  I  see  that  your  friend  wishes  the  naval  store- 
keeper's post,  but  why  not  take  the  position  of 
interpreter ;  for  the  last  enactment  has  just  created 
an  interpretership  at  the  Kanagawa  Consulate,  al- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  29 1 


though  no  appropriation  has  as  yet  been  made  for 
it.  But  if  your  friend  will  take  the  place  I'll  send 
in  the  Bill  at  once,  and  you  will  look  after  it  and 
get  it  through." 

.Then  turning  to  me  he  went  on  :— 

"  Since  you  have  come  so  far,  you  had  better 
wait  a  little  and  take  that  position." 

I  thanked  Mr.  Seward  for  his  kindness  and 
agreed  to  wait  and  accept  the  post.  We  then  took 
our  leave,  the  Senator  going  off  to  the  Capitol  and 
I  to  my  hotel. 

On  my  way  I  called  on  Mr.  Sumner  (Senator 
from  Massachusetts)  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of 
introduction  from  Prof.  Agassiz  of  Cambridge. 
He  received  me  very  cordially,  but  he  was  very 
busy  writing  out  a  speech.  However  he  said  he 
would  be  happy  to  give  me  all  his  aid  in  promot- 
ing my  affairs  and  asked  me  to  call  again.  So  I 
•cut  short  my  visit,  thanked  him  for  his  kindness 
and  promised  to  do  as  he  requested. 

January  i2tk.  After  dinner  as  I  was  smok- 
ing in  the  reading-room,  a  stout,  well-built  gentle- 
man of  about  45  came  up  to  me  and  asked  me 
whether  I  was  not  from  Japan  and  called  Mr.  Heco. 
I  told  him  I  was.  He  then  told  me  his  name,  and 
said  his  sister  was  married  to  Mr.  G — .  in  California 
and  that  he  had  written  to  him  to  find  me  and  take 
me  home  to  stay  with  his  family  while  I  was  in 


292  THE   NARRATIVE 


Washington.  I  thanked  him  and  told  him  that. as 
I  was  then  about  return  to  Baltimore,  I  could  not 
accept  his  kind  invitation,  but  that  I  might  do  so  at 
some  future  date.  Next  day  I  left  for  Baltimore, 
where  I  again  took  up  my  quarters  with  my  old 
gentleman. 

Febriiary  6th.  I  had  received'  several  letters 
from  Capt.  Boothe,  pressing  me  to  visit  him  at  Ale- 
xandria, and  so  on  this  day  I  went  to  see  him. 
Three  days  later  it  was  Sunday,  and  I  went  to 
Chtirch  with  his  family.  On  our  way  home  from 
service  we  noticed  a  great  tumult  and  commotion 
in  the  street.  On  asking  what  the  matter  was,  we 
were  told  that  at  St.  Paul's  the  clergyman  had  just 
been  taken  out  of  the  Church  by  the  soldiers.  It 
seems  that  he  prayed  for  the  President  of  the  Con- 
federacy, but  had  omitted  all  reference  to  the  Pre- 
sident of  the  North,  and  upon  this  some  of  the 
soldiers  at  the  service  had  jumped  up  and  hotly 
demanded  that  he  should  pray  for  President  Lin- 
coln. But  the  clergyman  had  disregarded  their 
noise,  and  gone  on  with  the  service,  whereupon  the 
soldiers  had  gone  up  to  the  pulpit  and  '  lent  him  a 
hand  to  come  down.'  They  had  carried  away  the 
clergyman,  surplice  and  all,  with  the  prayer-book  in 
his  hands.  Hence  all  the  bustle  and  commotion 
on  this  the  Lord's  Day. 

After  dinner  my  host  and  I  went  out  to  call  on 


Op   A  JAPANESE.  293 


some  of  his  friends.  We  had  called  on  a  Mr. 
Bryant  (a  large  dry  goods  merchant  there)  and  I 
had  been  introduced  and  we  were  just  entering  into 
conversation  about  the  occurrence  of  the  fore-noon 
at  the  Episcopal  Church,  when  to  our  great  sur- 
prise a  Lieutenant  entered  the  room.  And  the 
manner  of  his  coming  could  boast  of  but  scant  cere- 
mony, for  he  presented  himself  without  ringing  the 
bell,  or  giving  any  warning  whatsoever. 

"  Madam  and  gentlemen,"  he  began  right 
away,  "excuse  my  intrusion,  but  I  act  by  the 
orders  of  my  superior  officer.  Are  these  all  that 
are  in  the  house  ?" 

As  he  said  this  he  swept  his  eye  over  all  four 
of  us. 

Our  host  answered  "  Yes." 

"  Then,"  the  officer  went  on  politely  enough 
but  in  tones  of  authority  that  sounded  as  if  he  would 
take  no  denial,  "  all  the  gentlemen  are  requested 
to  accompany  me  to  the  Provost  Marshal's  office." 

At  this,  our  host  and  Captain  Boothe  looked 
wonderingly  at  each  other,  and  then  the  former  turned 
to  me  and  said  he  was  more  than  sorry  that  such  a 
thing  had  happened  in  his  house.  He  made  a 
.thousand  apologies  to  me  foe  the  occurrence  and 
protested  that  he  could  not  in  the  least  understand 
what  the  Provost  Marshal  meant  or  wanted. 

However  there  was  no  help  for  it,  so  out  we 


294  THE   NARRATIVE 


went  after  the  officer  and  walked  up  the  street. 
As  we  got  into  the  street,  I  noticed  about  a  score 
of  armed  men  lounging  there  seemingly  at  random. 
They  all  followed  us  till  we  arrived  at  the  office. 
I  was  told  afterwards  that  in  case  we  had  resisted 
the  officer,  these  men  were  there  to  lend  the 
irresistible  and  conclusive  argument  of  physical 
force  to  the  Lieutenant's  representations. 

When  we  entered  the  office  we  saw  two  offi- 
cers in  uniform, — one  sitting  by  the  fire  reading  a 
newspaper  with  his  back  to  the  door,  and  the  other 
at  a  desk  writing.  They  both  looked  at  us  keenly 
as  we  entered,  and  the  Lieutenant  saluted  and  said 
that  he  had  brought  us  according  to  orders.  The 
officer  by  the  fire  ran  his  eye  over  us  again,, 
and  then  pointing  at  me,  said  brusquely : — "  That 
is  the  gentleman  that  is  wanted,  Lieutenant.  Please 
take  him  upstairs." 

Upon  this  I  went  up  to  the  Captain  and  .took 
out  my  passport  and  showed  it  to  him,  remarking 
that  he  must  have  taken  me  for  somebody  else. 
Mr.  Bryant  and  Capt.  Boothe  also  endeavoured  to 
explain.  The  Captain  read  the  passport  and  then 
said  that  he  received  a  telegram  from  Washington,, 
ordering  him  to  arrest  me,,  "So  please  follow  that 
officer  upstairs,"  he  said  coolly  in  a  tone  that  meant 
he  did  not  wish  me  to  argue  the  question  with  him. 

So  I  had  no  alternative  but  to  leave  my  friends,. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  295 


and  follow  the  officer.  I  was  taken  up  to  a  dirty 
looking  room  of  about  18  x  16  ft.  with  an  un- 
carpeted  wooden-floor  which  appeared  to  i>e  virgin 
soil  as  far  as  any  broom  was  concerned.  In  it  were 
a'  few  wooden  benches  and  a  litter  of  canvass  duck 
sails  in  one  corner.  And  here  the  Lieutenant  left 
me.  In  the  inner  ro^m  I  found  an  occupant  who 
at  once  entered  very  eagerly  into  conversation  with 
me.  When  I  asked  why  he  was  there,  he  said 
that  he  would  be  very  glad  if  some  one  could  give 
him  just  that  self-same  identical  piece  of  informa- 
tion, for  it  was  more  than  he  knew  "by  a  lot." 
He  had  been  taken  up  at  the  line  about  two  weeks 
before  and  had  been  kept  in  this  unswept  ice-chest 
ever  since,  with  no  fire,  and  only  canvass  duck-sail 
for  a  blanket,  and  food  that  a  fairly  decent  Christian 
wouldn't  think  of  offe'ring  to  his  pigs.  As  for  a 
chance  of  communicating  with  his  friends  and  re- 
latives, or  of  letting  them  know  where  he  was  there 
was  none.  He  talked  very  bitterly  and  at  the 
same  time  ven  eloquently  about  his  plight,  and 
earnestly  besought  me  to  make  his  case  known 
when  I  got  out.  Just  at  this  point  the  Lieutenant 
came  back  and  asked  me  to  walk  down-stairs  with 
him.  He  told  me  that  my  friends  had  made  ar- 
rangements with  the  Captain  and  the  Provost- 
Marshal  so  that  I  might  leave  the  place.  So  I 
went  down-stairs  with  him,  and  met  Messrs. 


296  THE   NARRATIVE 


Bryant  and  Boothe,  and  we  all  walked  out  of  the 
office. 

On  our  way  home  they  informed  me  that  they 
had  to  give  bonds  to  the  extent  of  $25,000  for  my 
re-appearance  when  wanted.  I  told  them  that  I 
had  hitherto  had  no  adequate  idea  of  my  own  worth 
or  importance. 

February  loth.  My  host  got  ready  the  buggy 
to  drive  me  over  to  Washington.  Before  starting 
he  went  to  see  the  Provost-Marshal  in  order  to 
find  out  about  my  case  and  at  the  same  time  to 
inform  him  that  we  were  going  over  to  the  city. 
In  half-an-hour's  time  my  friend  came  back  with  the 
following  story: — 

It  seemed  that  a  report  had  got  about  that  the 
Confederate  General,  B had  suddenly  disap- 
peared from  his  own  quarters  and  been  seen  near 
Washington  reconnoitering  preparatory  to  an  at- 
tack on  the  Federal  Capital.  Just  at  this  moment 
one  of  the  detectives  who  all  unknown  to  me  had 
been  shadowing  me  for  several  days  appeared  at 
his  office  with  an  old  faded  photograph  of  the 
General,  and  saying  "That's  the  man,"  pointed  at 
me.  So  the  Provost-Marshal  had  me  arrested  at 
once,  not  knowing  or  even  dreaming  that  any 
Japanese  was  •  wandering  about  in  the  town  of 
Alexandria.  After  my  arrest  he  had  sent  for  the 
detective  to  come  and  identify  me,  but  he  had  not 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  297 


come  as  yet.  But  as  the  Captain  was  now  quite 
convinced  that  he  had  arrested  the  wrong  man,  he 
said  he  would  not  keep  us  any  longer  in  suspense, 
but  would  release  me  and  my  friend's  bond.  At 
the  same  time  he  sent  a  message  of  apology  for 
making  the  mistake. 

We  went  to  Washington  and  saw  Mr.  Seward. 
I  asked  him  about  my  application,  and  told  him 
what  had  befallen  me  on  the  previous  da)'.  He 
laughed  and  said  that  in  times  like  those  such  mis- 
takes had  often  taken  place,  and  that  it  was  very 
flattering  to  me  to  be  taken  for  such  a  distinguished 
man. 

February  nth.  During  the  night  there  was 
a  fire  in  the  town.  It  was  in  the  newspaper  office, 
and  it  was  burned  to  the  ground.  It  was  rumoured 
that  some  soldiers  had  set  fire  to  the  place,  on 
account  of  an  article  in  the  paper  on  the  arrest  of 
the  Clergyman  on  Sunday,  which  was  not  alto- 
gether to  the  liking  of  these  men  of  war.  Next 
day  it  was  reported  that  some  Volunteers  from 
Illinois  had  prevented  the  fire-men  from  putting  out 
the  fire,  and  that  the  Commanding  officer  of  the  city 
had  ordered  these  volunteers  out  of  the  place  in 
consequence.  They  went  away  in  the  night,  but 
returned  next  morning  to  defy  the  order.  On 
account  of  this  the  Commanding  officer  was  said  to 
have  sent  in  his  resignation  to  the  Headquarters  at 


298  THE   NARRATIVE 


Washington.  This  rumour  seems  to  have  been  con- 
tradicted next  day.  But  it  was  stated  in  the  local 
paper  that  the  Governor  of  the  town  was  far  too 
good  to  be  there,  as  he  was  more  of  a  Southerner 
than  a  Northerner,  and  that  he  ought  to  be  remov- 
ed. It  was  on  account  of  this  that  the  Governor 
had  sent  in  his  resignation.  Along  with  it  he  sent 
a  statement  of  what  he  had  done.  The  authorities 
refused  to  accept  his  resignation,  approved  of  his 
action,  and  increased  his  powers.  Whereupon  he 
effectually  cleared  the  town  ,of  these  disorderly 
soldiers  on  that  very  day. 

February  I3th.  When  we  got  up,  we  noticed 
the  American  flag  flying  from  almost  every  house- 
top or  roof  in  town.  We  were  told  that  on  the 
previous  night  the  soldiers  who  were  ordered  out 
had  placed  these  flags  there.  They  did  this  to 
annoy  die  residents  for  many  among  them  were 
said  to  be  in  full  sympathy  with  the  South. 

Early  in  the  forenoon  it  commenced  to  rain, 
and  the  rain  soon  turned  into  sleet  and  then  into 
Snow.  My  host  insisted  that  I  should  prolong  my 
stay  with  him  but  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  leave. 
So  at  1 1  a.m.  I  thanked  him  and  his  family  for 
their  hospitality,  bade  them  sayonara  and  left  for 
Baltimore.  When  I  arrived  there  I  found  my 
Commission  awaiting  me. 

March  loth.     During  the  previous   day  we 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  299 


had  heard  the  dull  rumble  of  cannonading  in  the 
distance.  And  now  to-day  the  place  was  wild 
with  excitement  at  the  news.  A  great  naval  battle 
had  been  fought  at  Hampton  Roads  between  the 
North  and  the  South.  The  Southern  warship 
Merrimac  had  rammed  the  Federal  men-of-war  Cum- 
berland and  Congress  and  sent  them  to  the  bottom. 

March  i2th.  My  departure  homeward  was 
near  at  hand,  so  I  thought  I  would  call  on  friends 
and  officials  at  Washington  and  bid  them  adieu  and 
thank  them  for  their  kind  attention  to  me.  So  I 
first  called  on  Mr.  Seward.  I  said  I  had  come  to 
thank  him  .for  the  appointment  and  to  bid  him 
good-bye. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  he.  "So  you  are  ready  to  go 
back  to  your  native  country !  But  have  you  seen 
our  Tycoon?" 

I  said  that  I  had  not  yet  had  that  pleasure. 

Then  he  said  that  I  must  not  go  away  without 
seeing  "  our  great  man."  And  he  asked -me  to 
wait  a  little,  as  he  would  then  take  me  and  intror 
duce  me  to  the  President. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  so  he  said,  "  Now, 
Mr.  Heco,  we  will  go."  So  saying  we  walked 
ou,t  of  his  office,  and  into  the  rear  garden,  when  he 
look  hold  of  my  arm  and  walked  me  .across  to  the 
President's  mansion.  As  we  walked  on  he  said  : — 
"  To-day  is  Cabinet  meeting-da)',  but  I  cannot 


3OO  THE    NARRATIVE 


let  you  go  away  without  your  seeing  our  great  and 
good  man." 

We  entered  the  President's  office  and  found 
him  seated  in  an  arm  chair  tilted  back  on  to  its  two 
fiind  legs,  with  his  ancles  crossed  over  each  on  the 
desk  in  front  of  him  and  his  spectacles  up  on  his 
forehead.  He  was  listening  patiently  to  an  army 
officer  who  sat  near  by  with  lots  of  documents  in 
his  hands  and  lots  more  on  the  corner  of  the  desk 
beside  him.  As  we  entered  the  President  glanced 
at  us,  and  Mr.  Seward  pointed  me  to  a  chair  and 
told  me  to  be  seated.  He  himself  went  and  picked 
up  a  newspaper  off  a  table,  sat  down  on  the  sofa 
near  by  and  began  to  read. 

I  looked  round  the  rodm  and  listened  to  the 
officer  talking  to  the  President.  As  far  as  I  could 
gather  from  the  drift  of  his  flow  of  words,  the  man 
was  a  cavalry  colonel  who  had  been  suddenly  dis- 
missed by  his  superior  officer.  He  thought  this 
was  very  unjust  and  wanted  the  President  to  inter- 
vene and  reinstate  him  in  his  post. 

Presently  the  President  seemed  to  wax  a 
trifle  impatient  at  the  man's  long  pleading.  And 
he  turned  to  that  officer  and  said  to  him  : — 

"  Well,  Sir,  I  have  been  listening  quite  long 
enough  to  your  complaints.  And,  my  dear  colonel, 
I'll  tell  you  what ; — I  think  you  are  the  most  long- 
winded  talker  I  ever  listened  to ! " 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  30! 


At  this  the  officer  jumped  up  from  his  seat, 
gathered  up  all  his  documents  with  trembling 
fingers,  hastily  crammed  them  into  his  coat-pocket, 
and  said : — 

"Mr.  President,  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for 
the  compliment  you  have  just  paid  me.  Good- 
morning  ! " 

"All  right,  Sir!"  replied  the  President,  and 
the  colonel  dashed  out  through  the  door  as  if  he 
had  been  a  shot. 

After  the  man  had  disappeared  the  President 
got  up  and.  walked  towards  us,  and  we  rose  from 
our  seats. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Seward  ? "  he  said,  and  he 
shook  hands  with  that  gentleman. 

Mr.  Seward  then  said  : — 

"  Allow  me  to  introduce  my  young  friend, 
Mr.  Heco,  a  Japanese  gentleman." 

The  President  stretched  out  a  huge  hand, 
saying  he  was  glad  to  meet  one  coming  from  such 
a  far  off  place  as  Japan.  He  shook  hands  with  me 
very  cordially,  and  then  he  made  a  great  many 
inquiries  about  the  position  of  affairs  in  our 
country. 

Whilst  we  were  talking  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  (Mr.  Chase)  came  in,  and  then  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy.  So  I  made  a  move  to 
take  my  leave  by  thanking  the  President  for  the 


302  THE   NARRATIVE 


appointment.     I  bade  all  of  them   good-bye   and 
received  their  good-wishes,  and  came  away. 

The  President  was  tall,  lean,  with  large  hands, 
darkish  hair  streaked  with  grey,  slight  side-whiskers 
and  clean  shaved  about  the  month.  He  was  dress- 
ed in  a  black  frock  coat.  It  was  said  that  he  was 
a  most  sincere  and  kind  person,  greatly  beloved 
by  all  those  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  and 
more  especially  by  his  party  and  his  friends. 

April  ist.  I  left  New  York  in  the  North 
Star  which  was  said  to  have  been  specially  built 
for  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  who  had  made  a  trip 
to  Europe  higher.  We  arrived  at  Aspinwall  at  the 
usual  time  and  crossed  to  Panama  and  got  on 
board  the  Sonora. 

A  few  days  before  our  arrival  in  San  Francisco 
I  noticed  great  excitement  on  deck.  I  went  to  see 
what  the  mattei*  was,  when  I  saw  a  boy  of  about 
1 5  years  of  age,  led  round  the  deck  by  two  sailors. 
A  piece  of  white  shirting  with  the  word  TJtief 
on  it  ran  across  his  shoulders,  and  one  end  of 
it  hang  down  to  his  hip.  It  seemed  that  the 
boy,  who  was  the  son  of  a  2nd  cabin  passenger 
had  stolen  something  belonging  to  a  ist  cabin 
passenger,  and  the  'Captain  of  the  steamer  thought 
well  to  teach  the  youngster  a  lesson  he  would  not 
forget. 

April  26th.     We  arrived  at  San  Francisco, 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  303 


and  I  at  once  went  to  Mr.  Gary's  office  and  inform- 
ed him  of  the  result  of  my  trip. 

May  $th.  In  the  morning  papers  I  noticed 
that  another  batch  of  Japanese  castaways  had  been 
picked  up  by  the  ship  Victor  and  brought  into  port. 
So  I  called  oh  the  Japanese  Consul  (Mr.  Brooke) 
and  accompanied  him  on  board  to  see  them.  They 
-were  1 2  number ;  their  junk  belonged  to  Owari, 
and  had  been  blown  off  the  coast  and  had  drifted 
'abont  for  several  weeks  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind 
and  the  waves,  until  the  Victor  had  at  last  sighted 
them.  The  Consul  and  myself  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing a  passage  for  them  on  the  schooner  Ida  and 
despatched  them  for  Kanagawa  on  May  2nd,  1862. 

On  May  27th  I  left  California  homeward  bound 
via  Honolulu  and  China  and  arrived  at  Hongkong 
on  September  5th.  Here  we  learned  that  the 
American  war  was  still  going  on.  It  was  said  that 
General  McLellan  had  attacked  Richmond,  but 
had  been  beaten  back  with  a  loss  of  20,000  men,  and 
that  the  President  had  called  out  more  men,  but 
that  the  Northerners  had  refused  to  support  him. 
Owing  to  these  Federal  reverses  the  general  feel- 
ing among  the  Hongkong  community  was  not  so 
friendly  to  the  Americans  as  it  had  been  before. 
The  Queen's  proclamation  had  just  been  issued 
declaring  that  neither  of  the  belligerents  should  be 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  port  of  Hongkong  for 


304  THE   NARRATIVE 


longer  than  24  hours  at  a  time.  American  ship- 
ping and  trade  there  had  all  but  disappeared. 

September  nth.  I  left  Hongkong  on  the  Rona 
for  Shanghai,  via  Amoy  and  Foochow,  at  the  latter 
of  which  ports  I  stayed  a  few  days  with  Mr.  Clark 
and  his  wife,  who  treated  me  with  the  utmost 
kindness. 

On  our  way  up  the  river  to  Ning-po  we  met 
the  Chinese  Government  steamer  Confucius  with 
the  dead  body  of  General  Ward  on  board.  He 
was  reconnoitering  outside  his  camp,  when  his  own 
guard  mistook  him  for  one  of  the  enemy,  fired  upon 
him,  and  killed  him.  After  we  came  to  anchor 
some  of  our  passengers  went  ashore  to  see  the 
city.  In  about  two  hours  they  came  back  in  great 
haste  and  reported  that  the  rebels  had  captured  the 
town,  that  the  gates  were  closed  and  that  they 
could  not  get  in.  As  they  were  talking,  we  sud- 
denly observed  a  number  of  native  boats,  crowd- 
ed with  men,  women  and  children,  and  laden 
with  household  goods  rowing  lustily  down  the 
stream.  We  supposed  that  it  was  endeavouring 
to  escape  from  the  rebels.  Presently  another  pas- 
senger returned  with  the  information  that  the  gates 
of  the  place  were  shut,  because  the  authorities 
wished  to  stop  the  efflux  of  the  timid  that  had 
just  commenced,  but  that  notwithstanding  consider- 
able numbers  had  succeeded  in  getting  away. 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  305 


And  our  boat  profited  greatly  in  consequence  by 
reason  of  the  crowd  of  passengers  who  applied  to 
be  taken  to  Shanghai. 

On  the  2 /th  we  arrived  at  Shanghai,  and  I  at 
once  secured  a  berth  on  board  the  Governor  Wal- 
lace bound  for  Kanagawa.  On  the  29th  we  drop- 
ped down  to  Woosung,  ready  to  sail  for  Japan. 


306  THE    NARRATIVE 


XXIV. 

September  jotk.  I  was  aroused  by  our 
tain  who  told  me  that  a  steamer  had  just  come  in 
from  Kanagawa  with  word  that  a  rebellion  had 
broken  out  in  Japan  and  that  three  Englishmen  had 
been  cut  down  near  Yokohama  while  out  riding. 
He  asked  me  to  board  the  steamer  and  to  find'  out 
particulars.  When  I  reached  her  (the  Lancefield} 
the  Captain  took,  me  into  his  cabin  and  informed 
me  that  the  report  was  quite  true  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  story  of  the  rebellion. 

In  the  afternoon  we  got  under  weigh  and  ar- 
rived at  Yokohama  on  the  1 3th  October.  I  went 
ashore  and  took  up  my  quarters  with  my  old  friend 
Mr.  Ed.  Clarke  who  had  prepared  a  place  for  me 
'within  his  compound.  I  had  been  absent  from 
Yokohama  for  more  than  a  year.  I  came  back  to 
find  both  the  foreign  and  the  native  communities 
in  wild  excitement  over  an  event  that  had  happened 
at  Nama-mugi,  a  little  village  on  the  Tokaido,  be- 
tween Kanagawa  and  Tsurumi. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  307 

On  inquiring  I  found  two  versions  of  the  oc- 
currence. The  foreign  .one  was  as  follows : — 

Certain  visitors  from  China  accompanied  by 
some  residents  of  Yokohama  had  gone  on  an  ex- 
cursion on  horse-back  to  Kawasaki.  As  they  were 
riding  along  they  met  several  dmmio  trains,  among 
which  was  that  of  Shimadzu  Saburo,  the  father  of 
the  Prince  of  Satsuma.  On  meeting  this  the  for- 
eigners tried  to  get  out  of  the  way,  but  their  horses 
became  restive  and  frightened  and  finally  unman- 
ageable. One  of  the  horses  got  entangled  in  the 
moving  crowd,  and  seemingly  broke  the  train. 
?Jpon  this  the  men  in  the  train  sprang  at  the  riders 
with  drawn  swords  and  cut  at  them.  One  of  the 
foreigners  fell,  and  two  more  were  wounded  and 
rode  back  to  Kanagawa  as  fast  as  their  horses 
could  go.  There  was  a  lady  in  the  party,  and  she 
escaped  and  fled  to  the  U,  S.  Consulate  and  report- 
ed the  occurrence.  Upon  this  there  was  wild  excite- 
ment in  Yokohama.  The  foreigners  held  a  meeting 
at  which  it  was  proposed  to  fell  upon  the  train  of 
Shimadzu  at  Hodogaya  where  he  purposed  to  pass 
the  night.  As  they  were  on  the  point  of  starting 
out  on  the  venture,  the  Governor  of  Kanagawa  in- 
tervened and  made  request  that  they  should  desist 
and  leave  the  matter  in  his  hands.  And  he  pre- 
vailed upon  them  to  do  as  he  requested. 

According  to  the  native  version,   four  or  tive 


THE    NARRATIVE 


foreigners  were  riding  towards  Kawasaki,  when 
they  met  a  daimid  train  .from  Yedo  which  proved 
to  be  that  of  Shimadzu  Saburo.  The  foreign 
riders  seemed  to  break  the  train,  and  the  samurai 
called  to  the  foreigners  to  get  out  of  the  way,  but 
somehow  they  either  would  not  or  could  not  do 
so.  Whereupon  some  one  shouted  out  "Cut 
down!"  and  at  the  words  several  samitrai drew 
their  swords  and  fell  upon  the  foreigners.  And  one 
fell  to  the  ground  and  the  rest  ran  back.  The 
female  rider  was  the  first  to  turn,  and  then  two 
of  the  males  followed.  These  latter  must  have 
received  wounds,  for  they  saw  them  bleeding. 
Further,  the}7  -said;  that  a  few  minutes  before  the 
occurrence  an  American  who  spoke  the  native 
language  was  riding  toward  Kawasaki.  When  he 
saw  the  train,  he  dismounted,  and  got  on  one  side 
holding  his  horse  by  the  bridle  till  the  whole  train, 
passed,  and  nothing  whatsoever  had  happened  to 
him. 

My  informant  went  on,  to  say  that  it  was  a 
common  belief  among'  the  samurai,  that  when  the 
Lord's  train  is  broken  or  scattered  by  others,  as 
had  just  happened,  it  is  a  bad  omen  and  a  sure 
precursor  of  calamity  to  their  clan.  He  also 
said  that  on  his  way  to  Yedo  a  few  months 
before,  Shimadzu  Saburo  had  gone  to  YokO' 
hama  and  bought  a  steamer  for  $120,000  from  a 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  309 


foreign  house  there.  Thus  Shimadzu  really  enter- 
tained no  bad  feelings  towards  foreigners.  But  it 
was  said  that  when  he  had  got  to  Yedo,  he  had 
requested  the  Shogun's  Government  to  recommand 
the  Mikado  to  grant  him  the  little  of  Oswni-no- 
Karni,  since  his  own  son  had  become  chief  of 
Satsuma.  But  the  Shogun's  Government  had  re- 
fused to  move  in  the  matter,  and  hence  Shimadzu 
had  waxed  wroth  against  it.  So  on  his'  way  back, 
when  his  train  met  foreign  riders  who  did  not  get 
out  of  the  way,  but  broke  it, 'his  men  naturally  got 
up  and  fell  upon  them,  wishing  thereby  to  entangle 
the  Shogun's  Government  in  difficulties  with  for- 
eign nations. 

October  i^th.  \  reported  myself  to  the  U.  S. 
Consul  and  entered  upon  my  duties  at  the  Con- 
sulate. I  continued  in  this  position  until  next  Sept., 
when  I  resigned  on  account  of  my  business. 

November  2jrd.  This  evening  the  U.  S.  Min- 
ister and  Consul  and  myself  dined  with  my  friend 
Mr.  Ed.  Clarke.  In  the  course  of  conversation 
the  topic  of  "Exchange"  cropped  up.  Now  inas- 
much as  my  salary  was  calculated  in  Mexicans 
it  was  a  matter  of  some  moment  for  me,  for 
the  Mexican  instead  of  being  at  par  was  going 
for  2.)^,  2*^  and  even  as  low  as  2^  instead  of 
the  nominal  3  bu.  And  diis  did  not  at  all  affect 
either  the  Minister  or  the  Consul,  for  the  one  gt>t 


,IO  THE    NARRATIVE 


an  exchange  allowance  of  $1,500,  and  the  other  of 
$1,000  a  month  from  the  native  authorities  at  par. 
So  now  I  asked  the  Minister  whether  I  was  not 
also  entitled  to  an  allowance  also.  To  this  he  re- 
plied that  I  had  no  right  whatsoever  to  such  an 
allowance,  and  that  oaly  the  Minister  and  Consul 
were  entitled  to  it.  I  then  said  the  subordinates 
on  the  French  and  English  Diplomatic  and  Con- 
sular staffs  had  such  an  allowance  in  proportion  to 
their  respective  salaries. 

"Ah!  but,"  said  the  Minister,  ''the  arrange- 
ment is  different  in  their  case.  The  allowance  is 
made  to  the  Legations  and  Consulates,  and  con- 
sequently it  is  distributed  among  the  subordinates. 
But  with  us  Americans,'  the  allowance  is  made  to 
the  Minister  and  the  Comid  only.  That  was  the 
way  in  which  the  arrangement  was  originally  made 
with  the  Japanese  authorities." 

I  then  asked  whether,  if  that  was  so,  the  Min- 
ister could  not  apply  to  the  Government  for  an 
allowance  for  me.  He  answered  that  neither  he 
nor  the  Consul  could  do  any  such  thing,  inasmuch 
as  the  arrangement  had  been  fixed  at  the  outset  as 
he  had  stated. 

Noi'ember  241/1.  For  the  first  time  since  my 
return  I  issued  my  monthly  business  circular  to 
distant  friends.  I  extract  from  it,  the  following : — 

"  On  the  3rd  instant,  His  Majesty  the  Shogur* 


OF    A    JAPANESE.  3 II 


accompanied  by  the  Prince  Minister  held  an  archery 
meeting  at  the  so-called  pleasure  grounds  in  the 
environs  of  Yedo  ;  and  contrary  to  all  former  pre- 
cedent there  were  no  regal  displays,  but  merely  a 
mounted  escort  of  12  officers." 

"  It  was  now  been  officially  notified  to  the 
Foreign  Representatives  that  the  Shogun  will  re- 
pair to  the  city  of  die  Mikado  early  next  spring 
accompanied  by  the  Prince-President  and  numerous 
Daimio.  The  journey  it  is  said,  will  be  made  by- 
sea,  and  the  following  steamers  and  sailing  vessel 
have  already  been  purchased  by  the  Government 
and  die  Daimio.  The  Fiery  Cross  $110,000, 
Lanccfield  $115,000,  5V.  Isolds  $80,000,  Jinkec 
$150,000,  and  the  Wallace  $14,300. 

"  This  was  the  great-  epoch  from  which  the 
Daimio  and  Shogun 's  Government  began  to*  act 
progressively." 

"We  have  just  received  news  to  the  effect  that 
on  the  1 2th  instant  the  Shogun  s  Government  has 
issued  the  following  notice  to  the  people,  viz.  : — 

"  Our  .country  lias  entered  into  treaties  with 
several  Foreign  Nations,  and  I  therefore  command 
that  all  my  subjects  shall  combine  to  carry  out 
such  measures  for  the  good  of  the  country.  At 
present  it  grieves  me  to  see  that  there  are  in  my 
dominions  so  many  people  dissatisfied  because  I 
have  consented  to  admit  foreigners  into  the  conn- 


12  THE    NARRATIVE 


try.  I  further  regret  to  see  that  so  large  a  body  ot 
men  should  feel  displeased  with  my  action. 

"  To  all  far-seeing  men,  it  is  clear  that  the 
time  has  now  come  when  we  can  no  longer  resist 
the  influx  of  Foreigners  into  the  country,  and 
therefore  it  is  my  wish  that  all  the  Daimw  shall 
withdraw  to  their  respective  territories  and 
strengthen  themselves  for  the  defence  of  the  Empire. 

To  Daimio,  "If  there  be  within  your  pro- 
vince any  men  of  inventive  genius  whose  discove- 
ries in  any  matters  concerning  either  peace  or  war, 
are  likely  to  benefit  the  nation — notify  my  Govern- 
ment hereof,  and  be  assured  they  shall  be  suitably 
rewarded. 

"  During  your  stay  at  the  capital,  you  will 
consult  about  the  plan  to  be  adopted  for  the  defence 
and1  protection  of  the  country  on  the  -sea  board, 
and  you  are  fully  privileged  to  enter  my  castle 
whenever  you  desire  to  speak  of  anything  that  con- 
cerns the  national  good.  Hereafter  there  shall  be 
no  restriction  imposed  on  any  of  my  subjects  either 
high  or  low ; — and  all  are  af  liberty  to  express  freely 
their  opinions  about  the  Government  matters  and 
the  country — provided  however  they  do  not  tend 
to  the  subversipn  thereof." 

After  the  above  notice  had  been  issued  to  the 
people  and  the  Daimio.  by  the  Shogun's  Govern- 
ment, all  the  Daimto  began. to  withdraw  from  Yedo 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  313 


to  their  respective  territories.  They  took  their 
families  with  them  for  the  first  time  for  two  centu- 
ries. From  the  firm  establishment  of  the  House 
of  Tokugawa,  the  Shoguns  had  kept  the  families  of 
the  Daimio  in  Yeclo  as  hbstages  for  the  peace  and 
good  behaviour  of  the  nobles. 

It  is  stated  and  generally  believed  that  the 
above  measure  was  initiated  by  the  Daimio  of 
Echizen,  at  that  time  Minister  President  of  die  Sho- 
gun's  Government.  And  it  is  to  th's  same  measure" 
that  the  speedy  downfall  of  the  Shogun's  power  is 
to  be  attributed. 

Jamiary  2Oth,  1863.  From  anodier  of  iny 
monthly  circulars  I  extract  the  following : — 

"  Gloomy  and  perplexing  rumours  are  almost 
of  daily  occurrence,  and  the  continued  departure  of 
Daimio  from  Yedo  is  now  being  followed  up  by 
numerous  shop-keepers,  artisans  and  those  hitherto 
dependent  on  their  patronage  for  support. 

"  There  have  been  occasional  affrays  between 
the  retainers  of  rival  Daimio, — one  in  particular 
when  the  men^of  Satsuma  had  a  conflict  with  diose 
of  Tosa;  of  the.  former  eleven  and  of 'the  latter 
three  were  killed  in  Yedo. 

"It  is  stated  that  another  Ambassador  from 
the  Mikado  has  suddenly  appeared  at  Yedo.  He 
is  of  even  higher  rank  than  die  Shogun,  and  a£ 
audience,  (the  report  says)  demanded  to  know 


THE    NARRATIVE 


from  the-  Shogun,  his  reason;  for  permitting  foreign 
residents  in  the  country  (Japan)  after  having  been 
repeatedly  warned  by  the  Mikado's  Government  to 
expel  the  foreigners  from  the  soil  of  His.  Majesty 
the  Mikado. 

"It  is  a  matter  of  common  talk  among  the 
natives  that  the  Shogun  s  position  is  a  -very  delicate 
one,  for  the  Mikado  (his  superior)  has  peremptorily 
ordered  or  demanded  of  the  Shogun  to  expel  all  for- 
eigners from  the  country,  while  on  the  other  hand 
the  Shogun  has  no  power  to  obey  the  order,  or  to 
do  so.  The  Government  of  the  Shogun  is  evidently 
doing  all  they  can  within  their  power  to  temporize 
and  prolong  the  situation  until  the  interview  be- 
tween the  Shogun  and  the  Mikado  comes  off  in 
March  or  April  next  at  Kioto,  when  a  good  under- 
standing must  either  be  arrived  at,  or  the  further 
residence  of  foreigners  under  the  Treaties  of 
1858  will  be  rendered  impossible. 

"  In  the  meantime,  it  is  needless  to  record 
that  the  authority  of  die  Shogun  is  already  com- 
pletely set  at  nought  in  the  region  about  Osaka 
and  Kioto  by  the  armed  adherents  of  several 
Princely  houses,  and  the  drift  of  their  .tactics  may 
be  judged  from  two  facts  which  have  come  to  the 
surface  free  from :  the  obscurity  with  which  pub- 
lic opinion  is  surrounded  in  this  country,  viz.: — 
Uncompromissing  hostility  to  the  officers  of  the 


OF    A   JAPANESE.  ,         315 


Government,  and  the  greatest  consideration  to  mer- 
chants and  the  noa-official  classes.  From  all  of 
which  it  is  apprehended  by  Japanese  of  solidity  and 
position  that  it  is  impossible  to  get  through  this 
crisis  without  a  revolution  in  die  country,  and  they 
do  not  hesitate  to  add  that  with  the  return  of  warm 
weather  the  trouble  may  or  will  begin  &c." 

January  .2$th.  A  native  physician,  who  had 

been  one  of  the  pupils  of  Dr.  S at  Nagasaki 

in  the  earlier  clays,  called  at  my  house  in  the  foreign 
Concession  and  told  me  he  wished  to  place  his  son 
with  me  in  order  to  learn  the  foreign  languages. 
After  his  son  was  thus  placed  the  old  gentleman 
called  frequently  at  my  house  to -see  him  and  at  the 
same  time  to  learn  all  he  could  about  foreign 
affairs.  In  the  course  of  our  conversation  one 
day,  I  asked  him  about  contemporary  Japanese 
politics,  and  he  delivered  himself  of  the  following 
statement : — 

"At  the  beginning  of  the  i/th  Century,  after 
protracted  Civil  wars,  the  founder  of  the  House  of 
Tokugawa  became  the  military  ruler  of  the  Empire. 
Under  him  .there  were  some  260  odd  Daimio. 
Some  of  these  he  had  subdued  in  actual  conflict, 
while  others  had  made  capitulations  with  him. 
These  latter  were  called  Tozama.  Among  the 
260  were  iS  Daimio  known  as  Kokushu,  and  some- 
times as  great  Daimio.  After  the  Tokugawas 


3  It)  THE   NARRATIVE 


these  were  me  most  powerful  feudal  Houses  in  the 
country.  The  other  Daimio  were  known  as  Fudai. 
These  had  submitted  to  lyeyasu,  the  founder  of  the 
Tokugawas,  and-  had  practically  become  his  vassals 
before  he  established  himself  as  Shogun. 

"  Meanwhile  the  Mikado  remained  an  virtual 
seclusion  in  Kioto.  His  courtiers  were  called 
Kuge,  and  nominally  were  higher  in  rank  than  the 
military  nobles.  But  their  exalted  rank  was  nothing 
but  a  mockery,  for  they  were  without  the  least 
vestige  'of  actual  power.  The  revenue  of  the 
Mikado  was  fixed  at  100,000  koku  of  rice  per 
annum.  On  this  he  had  to  support  the  whole  Court 
of  Kioto ;  only  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Shogun' s  Go- 
vernment to  repair  or  rebuild  the  Emperor's  Palace 
when  necessary,  to  furnish  a  Governor  and  a  guard 
for  Kioto,  and  to  appoint  all  the  officials  for  that 
city.  The  Mikado  reserved  to  himself  the  right  of 
conferring  all  ranks  and  titles,  and  from  this  source 
he  is  said  to  derive  a  considerable  income. 

"The  Shogun  with  his  residence  in  Yedo  is 
feudal  Jord  of  8  Provinces  in  the  K  wan  to  adjoining, 
and  is  besides  the  owner  of  numerous  other  little 
patches  scattered  all  over  the  face  of  Japan.  His 
revenue  is  estimated  at  between  8  and  cj, 000,000 
koku  of  rice. 

"The  Daimio  for  6  months  every  year  resided 
in  their  respective  territories  where  they  collected 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  317 


taxes,  administered  justice  and  governed  their  own 
immediate  subjects. 

"As  to  the  laws  in  the  various  Daimioates  they 
were  of  course  different  in  matters  of  detail,  but  in 
the  main  point, — capital  punishment  for  example — 
they  were  pretty  much  at  one  throughout  the  whole 
extent  of  the  Empire. 

"The  Shogun  reserved  to  himself  the  right  of 
coining  gold,  silver  and  copper.  But  the  Daimio 
may  upon  application  receive  permission  from  the 
Yedo  Government  to  issue  Koku-satsu  (paper  cur- 
rency for  local  circulation)  within  their  own  provinces 
to  the  extent  of  their  annual  income.  All  Daimio 
are  required  to  maintain  at  their  own  expense  a 
force  of  soldiers  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of 
their  assessed  revenue.  The  services  of  these 
forces  were  at  the  disposal  of  the  Shogun  at  'any 
time. 

-"Thus  in  fact  the  Shogun  was  supreme  ruler 
of  the  country,  but  from  about  the  time  of  the  con- 
clusion of  Treaties  with  Foreign  Powers  several  of 
the  Kokushiu  Daimio  had  become  jealous  of  his 
power  and  especially  of  the  lucrative  income  he 
now  began  to  derive  from  Foreign  commerce  (the 
tariff).  Three  or  four  of  them  consequently  began 
to  conspire  against  him.  These  Daimio  made  con- 
stant visits  to  Kioto  where  they  intrigued  with  the 
Court  Nobles,  through  them  urging  the  Mikado  .tt> 


318  THE   NARRATIVE 


force  the  Shogun  to  expel  all  foreigners  from  the 
country.  But  these  Daimio  all  the  while  are  quite 
aware  that  this  task  of  expelling  foreigners  is  an 
impossible  one.  But  should  the  Shogun  declare 
as  much  publicly,  or  confess  his  inability  to  over- 
take it,  these  Daimio  will  at  once  'call  upon  him 
to  resign  his  power  and  restore  it  to  the  hands  of 
the  Mikado.  Then  when  this  is  done,  these  Dai- 
mio count  upon  getting  the  governing  power  into 
their  own  hands. 

"And  day  by  day  the  Shogun  s  power  seemed 
to  wane  and  dwindle  while  the  Party  for  the  Re- 
storation of  the  Mikado  waxed  bold  and  strong 
apace." 

March  2$tk.  From  this  date  the  British 
forces  began  to  gather  in  Yokohama,  and  rumours 
became  rife  that  the  English  Government  intended 
to  lay  before  the  Shogun's  Government  their  de- 
mands in  connection  with  the  Nama-mugi  affair  of 
the  1 4th  September,  1862.  It  was  also  reported 
that  the  Shogun  had  suddenly  departed  from  Yedo 
for  Kioto  with  an  armed  train  of  250  men.  This 
he  had  done  to  evade  the  preferment  of  the  English 
demand. 

April  6th.  It  is  reported  that  the  English 
Charge  d'  Affaires  had  sent  in  to  the  Shogun's 
Government  his  ultimatum  in  connection  with  the 
Nama-mugi  affair.  The  Japanese  Authorities  w,ere 


OF  -A   JAPANESE.  319 


called  upon  to  punish  die  assassins,  and  to  hand 
over  a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  support  of  the 
relatives  of  the  killed  and  of  those  who  were 
wounded.  A  space  of  20  days  was  allowed  the 
Shogun's  Government  for  a  reply.  And  almost 
immediately  the  British  Authorities  at  Yokohama 
issued  a  notice  to  all  the  Foreign  Representatives 
there  of  the  above  fact,  and  requested  them  to 
notify  the  same  to  their  respective  citizens  and  sub- 
jects. This  created  a  great  stir  among  the  for- 
eigners in  the  place  but  we  noticed  that  the  native 
authorities  remained  cool  and  seemed  to  look  upc»n 
the  situation  as  not  in  any  way  serious.  It  was  not 
till  the  20  days  had  all  but  expired  that  they  began 
to  evince  any  anxiety  in  connection  with  the  matter. 

Then  it  was  rumoured  and  generally  believed 
at  the  time  that  die  Government  at  Yedo  had  sent 
two  Ambassadors  of  high  rank  to  the  British 
Audiorities  to  ask  them  for  an  extension  of  30 
days,  on  tlie  ground  that  the  Shogun  was  then 
absent  from  the  Capital,  and  that  the  Clutrge- 
d?  Affaires  had  consented  to  a  delay  of  20  days. 

Later  on  towards  the  end  of  April,  it  was 
rumoured  that  another  Ambassador  had  come  from 
Yedo  asking  for  a  furdier  extension  of  time.  The 
British  Charge  was  willing  to  grant  10  days  moret 
but  this  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  Ambassador  and 
he  asked  for  another  interview  with  the  English 


120  "THE    NARRATIVE 


Authorities  ort  board  the  Euryaliis.-  An  interview 
with  the  Charge  cT  Affaires  and  the  Admiral  was 
granted.  What  took  place  at  that  interview  was 
not  niade  known  to  the  public,  but  it  was  generally 
supposed  to  have  been  of  a  satisfactory  nature,  in- 
asmuch as  the  Governor  Takemoto  Kai  no  Kami 
accompanied  the  Ambassador  to  Yedo  in'  great 
haste,  and  was  at  once  despatched  overland  to 
Kioto,  whence  he  returned  in  12  days.  Meanwhile, 
several  notices  were  issued  by  the  British  Author- 
ities, and  several  public  meetings  held  by  the.  com- 
munity in  Yokohama. 

After  the  return  of  Governor  Takemoto  from 
Kioto  in  May  we  believed  that  the  Nama-mugi 
affair  was  approaching  a  satisfactory  settlement. 
But  such  was  not  the  case.  It  appears  that  Take- 
moto on  his  way  back  from  Kioto  called  on  the 
English  Charge  d'  Affaires  at  Yokohama,  and  told 
him  that  he  would  come  from  Yedo  to  see  him 
again  in  a  few  days.  But  he  failed  to  make  good 
his  word.  In  consequence  of  this  it  was  rumoured 
in  the  Settlement  that  his  mission  to  Kioto  had 
been  a  failure,  that  he  had  been  put  in  confinement 
by  the  Government  at  Yedo;  arid  that  on  account 
of  his  friendly  feelings  towards  foreigners  he  had 
been  removed  from  his  office  of  Governor  of 
Kanagawa. 

June  nth.     It  appears  that  the  Shogun's  Go- 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  321 


vernment  had  sent  to  see  the  British  Charged' Af- 
faires at  the  English  Legation.  At  this  interview 
they  agreed  to  pay  up  the  indemnity  demanded  by 
the  British  by  the  1 8th,  and  signed  documents  to 
that  effect.  The  other  portions  of  the  dem.and  were 
to  be  discussed  afterwards. 

It  was  reported  that  in  consequence  of  these 
arrangements  an  .English  gunboat  had  been  djs- 
p'atched  via  Nagasaki  to  Shanghai  with  the  intel- 
ligence that  the  matter  had  been  satisfactorily 
settled.  On  the  day  following  her  departure  how- 
ever, the  Governor  of  Kanagawa  went  and  told  the 
Charge  d'  Affaires  that  he  had  been  ordered  \ty  the 
Gorojiu  to  inform  him  that  they  (the  Gorojiu)  had 
received  instructions  from  Kioto  to  explain  the 
situation  to  him  and  that  he  accordingly  had  come 
to  do  so  fully.  After  he  had  ended.his  explanation^ 
it  was  said  that  the  Charge  had  become  greatly  an- 
gered, and  had  told  the  Governor  'that  until  the 
agreement  signed  on  the  preceding  day  had  been 
carried  out  to  the  letter,  he  absolutely  refused  to 
see  or  to  have  anything  to  say  to  any  official  of 
the  Shogun. 

On  the  next  da>  the  Charge  put  the  whole 
thing  in  the  hands-  of  the  Admiral,  instructing  him 
to  take  such  measures  as  he  deemed  most  suitable 
to  bring  the  Japanese  Authorities  to  their  senses. 

June,  2Oth.     The   French    authorities   raised 


322  THE   NARRATIVE 


their  flag  on  the  Bluff  and  landed  a  body  of 
Marines.  And  French  Marines  were  quartered 
there  for  several  years  afterwards. 

June  2 1 st.  The  English  Admiral  issued  a 
notice  to  all  the  Ministers  and  Consuls  of  the 
Treaty  Powers  and  to  British  subjects  resident  in 
the  place  stating  that  it  was  his  intention  to  take 
action.  He  requested  the  Ministers  to  warn  their 
respective  subjects  to  be  ready  to  leave  Yokohama 
within  a  week  after  the  issue  of  the  notice.  This 
intimation  caused  a  tremendous  flutter  among  both 
the  native  and  the  foreign  communities.  It  was  said 
that  the  Admiral  had  sent  a  despatch  boat  to  Naga- 
saki with  instructions  to  convey  all  foreign  residents 
there  to  Shanghai  and  that  he  had  ordered  all  the 
available  British  forces  in  the  East  to  muster  at 
Yokohama. 

Meanwhile  in  Yedo,  it  is  reported  that  the 
Vice-Shogun  had  issued  an  edict  ordering  all 
females,  children,  old  men,  invalids,  and  valuable 
effects  to  be  removed  to  the  interior,  inasmuch  as 
the  Authorities  were  about  to  expel  all  foreign 
barbarians  from  the  country.  And  in  consequence 
of  this  it  was  reported  that  on  the  following  day 
none  remained  in  the  Capital  but  male  adults, 
mostly  fighting  men. 

June  22nd.  It  is  reported  that  the  Lord  li- 
Kamon  no  Kami  has  been  ordered  by  the  Govern- 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  323 


ment  to  guard  the  line  from  Kanagawa  to  Kawa- 
saki, and  that  during  the  previous  night  the 
Vice-Shogun  had  instructed  all  the  Dazniio  then 
in  Yedo  to  hold  themselves  in  instant  readiness 
to  attack  the  English  and  to  defend  the  Capital. 
However  this  order  was  not  particularly  well  re- 
ceived by  not  a  few  of  the  Daimio.  For  the  most 
part  they  gave  little  heed  to  it,  although  some  of 
them  did  make  preparations  as  they  had  been 
enjoined  to  do. 

On  the  other  hand  the  native  traders  and  re- 
sidents in  Yokohama  were  everywhere  .packing 
up  their  effects,  closing  their  shops,  and  getting 
away  from  the  place.  The  former  were  only  too 
gla'd  to  dispose  of  their  wares  at  any  price.  The 
whole  of  the  native-settlement  looked  like  a  battle- 
ground, strewn  as  it  was  with  a  litter  of  everything 
in  wild  disorder.  Everywhere  was  running  to  and 
fro  and  confusion.  Carpentejs,  plasterers  and 
labourers  were  clamouring  and  importuning  for- 
eign firms  for  wages,  .and  for  payment  for  contract- 
work  not  yet  finished,  some  even  enforcing  their 
demands  by  the  argument  of  brandished  axes, 
spades,  hoes  and  fire-hooks. 

E.  C.  and  I  walked  into  the  town  and  pur- 
chasd  porcelain,  paying  at  the  rate  of  5  or  7  rio 
for  what  usually  fetched  25  or  30.  But  notwith- 
standing this  cheap  rate,  we  made  no  profit.  For 


324  THE    NARRATIVE 

immense  cargoes  were  then  sent  by  everybody 
to  China  ports,  and  the  prices  realized  in  conse- 
quence were  contemptible. 

Although  the  wild  commotion  in  the  native 
quarters  did  not  prevail  among  the  foreign  com- 
munity, yet  the  Settlement  was  not  unruffled  by- 
ripples  of  excitement.  In  all  quarters  there  was 
eager  talk  as  to  what  the  actual  outcome  of  the 
situatipn  would  be.  Would  the  affair  be  settled 
amicably,  or  would  they  really  come  to  blows  ? 

The  Governor  of  Kanagawa  went  first  on 
board  the  French  flagship  and  then  to  the  French 
Legation.  This  was  said  to  be  in  order  to  consult 
the  French  Admiral  and  the  Minister  about  the 
situation  and  to  ask  them  to  interpose  as  mediators 
in  the  matter.  They  agreed  to  the  request,  provid- 
ed that  Governor  Asano  handed  over  the  amount  of 
the  indemnity  to  the  English  at  once.  And  Asano 
forthwith  took  the  responsibility  of  doing  so  upon 
his  shoulders. 

It  is  stated  that  at  this  interview  the  French 
Admiral  asked  the  Governor  whether  it  was 
true  that  the  Mikado  had  ordered  the  Shogun  to 
instruct  Hitotsubashi  to  drive  foreigners  from  the 
country.  The  Governor  replied  that  it  was  true, 
but  that  the  Minister  and  the  •  Admiral  must  not 
regard  this  as  of  any  significance,  inasmuch  as 
Hitotsubashi  was  on  too  friendly  terms  with  for 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  325 


eigners  ever  to  dream  of  attempting  to  execute 
any  such  order.  Upon  this  the  Admiral  said  that 
if  Hitotsubashi  ever  did  make  any  such  attempt,  he 
might  count  on  finding  one  determined  opponent 
in  himself  at  least,  for  he  would  stand  by  his 
countrymen,  and  protect  them  to  the  last.  And  if 
Hitotsubashi  and  the  Government  really  entertain- 
ed towards  foreigners  diose  friendly  feelings  they 
professed  to  do,  why  were  the  Japanese  subjects  in 
Yokohama  allowed  to  flock  away  from  the  place  as 
they  were  doing?  The  Governor  replied  that  he 
would  put  a  stop  to  this  exodus  when  he  returned 
to  his  office. 

At  night  we  found  that  there  was  not  a  native 
servant,  or  Japanese  subject  within  the  Foreign 
Concession,  with  the  single  exception  of  Dr.  S.  T.'s 
son  in  my  own  house.  All  the  cooks  and  "boys'* 
had  stolen  off  one.  by  one,  after  they  had  received 
a  quiet  hint  from  the  native  authorities  to  do  so. 
So  those  who  had  •  placed  their  sole  reliance  on 
native  servants  had  now  to  cook  and  serve  their 
own  dinners. 

Governor  Asano,  however,  according  to  his 
promise,  issued  a  notice  to  the  effect  that  die 
people  must  not  remove  from  die  place,  and  must 
create  no  disturbance  in  the  foreign  settlement. 
This  notice  had  a  good  effect,  and  by  sundown 
order  again  prevailed  throughout  all  the  community. 


326  THE   NARRATIVE 


In  the  course  of  the  excitement  three  Ameri- 
cans had  been  assaulted  by  some  native  carpenters 
and  labourers,  because  they  had  refused  to  pay  for 
part  of  contract-work  which  had  not  been  fully 
completed.  It  was  said  that  these  Americans  after- 
wards demanded  damages  through  their  Minister 
from  the  Shogun' s  Government,  and  that  they  were 
.awarded  a  considerable  indemnity. 

June  23rd.  It  is  reported  that  the  Daimio 
of  Owari  and  Ota  Gon-no-suke  had  received  orders 
from  the  Government  of  Yedo  to  repair  to  Kioto 
and  bring  back  the  Shogun.  In  the  evening 
Hitotsubashi  arrived  at  Kanagawa  en  route  to  Yedo 
from  Kioto.  He  lodged  at  Honjin  and  sent  for 
Governor  Asano.  The  latter  went  over  to  see  him. 
and  they  had  an  interview  lasting  several  hours. 
It  was  surmised  by  the  public  that  this  interview 
was  on  the  subject  of  the  English  claims,  and  sure 
enough,  when  the  Governor  came  over  to  Yoko- 
hama he  went  immediately  to 'the  English  Legation 
and  told  the  Charge  d'  Affaires  that  he  would  pay 
the  indemnity  straightway.  The  deliver)'  of  the 
money  commenced  that  night  and  was  completed 
by  the  following  evening.  When  this  was  made 
known  to  the  public,  it  was  generally  supposed  that 
Hitotsubashi  had  received  a  message  from  the  Shogun 
at  Kioto,  instnicting  him  to  pay  the  indemnity,  rather 
than  face  the  risk  of  involving  the  country  in  war. 


OF   A  JAPANESE.  327 


On  the  following  day  the  Engjish  Charge 
d'  Affaires  notified  the  other  Foreign  Representa- 
tives that  the  difficulties  of  the  English  authorities 
with  the  Government  of  the  Shogun  had  been 
settled.  In  consequence  of  the  publication  of  this 
news  there  was  a  great  "jollification"  among  the 
native  community  of  Yokohama. 

Immediately  after  this,  the  Japanese  Minister 
for  Foreign  Affairs  gave  notice  to  all  the  Foreign 
Representatives  that  the  Japanese  Ministers  at 
Yedo  had  received  orders  from  Kioto  to  expel  all 
foreigners  from  the  country.  With  this  notice 
came  a  note  to  the  following  effect : — 

"  With  this  communication  I  beg  to  inform  you 
diat  the  feeling  of  the  people  of  Japan  is  tjiat  the) 
do  not  desire  to  have  any  further  intercourse  widi 
foreign  people,  and  that  consequently  their  wish- is 
to  expel  all  foreigners  from  the  open  ports  and  to 
close  the  same. 

"The above  notice  has  been  received  by  me  from 
Kioto  with  instructions  to  see  you  in  person  and  to 
explain  the  matter  more  full}',  but  that  before  I  did  so, 
to  intimate  to  you  briefly  in  writing  the  intention  of 
the  Mikado  and  of  the  Shogun,  and  to  request  that 
you  will  convey  the  above  to  your  Government. 
Signed  with  respect 

OGASAWARA  Dxusno  NO  KAMI 
(Yedo,  June  1863.) 


328  THE    NARRATIVE 


It  was  said  that  the  Foreign  Representatives 
took  not  the  least  notice  of  this  communication, 
beyond  merely  acknowledging  its  receipt.  They 
laughed  over  it  and  looked  upon  it  as  altogether 
too  childish  for  their  serious  consideration. 

June  2$th.  About  500  men  came  from  Yedo 
and  embarked  on  the  yacht  Emperor,  a  vessel 
which  had  been  presented  by  the  Queen  of  England. 
It  was  said  that  she  was  to  convey  the  native  Mini- 
ster for  Foreign  Affairs- to  Osaka  en  route  for  Kioto. 

Jwie  26th.  The  Banriu-marn  left  Yedo  for 
Osaka  with  the  replies  qf  the  Foreign  Representa- 
tives to  the  despatch  relating  to  the  expulsion  of 
Foreigners  from  the  country. 

June  3oth.  News  came  from  Yedo  to  the 
effect  that  at  Fukagawa  in  that  city,  a  large  number 
ofship's  carpenters  were  hard  at  work  on  a  fleet 
of  boats,  to  be  used  as  a  floating  bridge  between 
the  shore  and  the  Forts  of  Shinagawa.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  it  was  rumoured  that1  the  Govern- 
ment was  now  in  earnest  about  its  resolve  to  drive 
all  foreigners  from  Kanagawa  and  elsewhere,  and 
to  confine  them  to  the  limits  of  Nagasaki.  It  was 
said  that  negotiations  to  effect  this  end  .would  be 
opened  upon  the  return  of  the  Shogun  from  Kioto. 
A  certain  foreigner  was  said  to  be  at  the  bottom  ol 
this  business. 

July  2nd.     Governor   Asano   and   the  Vice- 


OF    A    JAPANESE.  329 


Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Sakai,  went  on  board 
the  French  flagship.  This  visit  was  said  to  be 
with  regard  to  the  "  Bluff"  affair.  The  French, 
as  already  stated,  had  run  up  their  flag  there  on  the 
2Oth  ultimo,  and  tliis  action  of  theirs  was  not  at  .all 
pleasing  to  the  English  and  American  Ministers. 

July  3rd.  It  is  reported  that  the  Shogun's 
Government  have  chartered  two  English  merchant 
steamers,  the  Elgin  at  $12,000  and  the  Rajah  at 
$10,000  per  month.  The  meaning  of  this  move- 
ment remains  a  mystery. 

July  4t/i.  The  Minister  Ogasawara  Dzusho 
no  Kami  arrived  from  Vedo  en  route  to  Kioto, 
whither  Governor  Asano  is  to  accompany  him.  It 
is  said  they  are  to  go  in  the  steamer  Lye-e-vwon, 
which  was  bought  tor  $145,000  by  the  Shogun's 
Government  through  a  certain  foreign  official. 

July  ipth.  At  an  interview  in  the  Consulate 
between  the  Governor  and  two  subordinates  on 
one  side,  and  the  Minister  and  the  Consul  on  the 
other,  I  acted  as  Interpreter.  On  behalf  of  a 
certain  religious  body  of  which  the  Minister  was 
an  ardent,  number,  the  Minister  urged  the  Governor 
to  grant  the  piece  of  land  immediately  East  of  the 
Custom-House  for  the  erection  of  a  Church.  The 
Governor  replied  that  everybody's  eye  was  set  on 
that  plot  of  ground,  but  that  he  could  not  grant  it 
to  any  one,  because  it  was  expressly  reserved  for 


33.O  THE    NARRATIVE 


the  extension  of  the  Custom  House,  or  at  all 
events  for  the  use  of  the  Government.  Besides, 
the  Government  wished  to  retain  possession  of 
that  piece  of  land,  because  the  first  American 
Treaty  had  been  signed  under  the  large  trees 
growing  on  it  If  the  land  was  granted,  these 
trees  would  be  cut  down,  and  then  there  would  be 
no  landmark  or  memorial  of  the  event  left  more. 
To  this  the  Minister  merely  replied. 

"  All  right ;  I'll  see  the  Gorojni  about  it ! " 

Then  he  turned  the  talk  on  to  the  matter  of 
exchange. 

"  I  understand,"  he  began,  '•'  that  you  have 
been  allowing  the  French  and  English  Admiral  $30 
exchange  per  diem,  while  the  American  Comman- 
der gets  an  allowance  of  only  $3.  Will  you  kindly 
explain  the  reason  of  tins?" 

The  Governor  said  that  the  Commander  was 
actually  drawing  more  than  his  legitimate  allow- 
ance, since  according  to  the  Custom  House  arrange- 
ments for  Exchange,  a  Commanders  allowance 
was  fixed  at  $2  per  day,  while  the  American  Com- 
mander was  receiving  $3.  which  was  a  post  Capr 
tain's  allowance. 

To  this  the  Minister  replied  that  the  Ame- 
rican Commander  was  now  the  senior  officer  in 
the  East,  and  that  therefore  he  was  Commander- 
in-Chief  and  consequently  on  the  same  footing  as 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  331 


the  English  and  French  Admirals  on  the  Eastern 
Station. 

"  We  Americans  call  our  officers  by  different 
titles  from  other  nations,"  he  proceeded.  "  For  in- 
stance the  French  and  English  call  their  rulers  Em- 
peror and  Oneen,  the  Japanese  call  theirs  Tycoon, 
while%  -we  term  ours  President.  In  a  similar  way 
the  English  and  French  call  their  chief  or  senior 
naval  officer  Admiral,  but  on  the  Eastern  Station 
here  at  present  we  call  ours  Commander.  Ever)' 
nation  has  its  own  way  of  naming  its  officials." 

At  this  brilliant  sally  the  Governor  smiled, 
and  said  that  he  would  look  into  the  matter,  and 
rectify  an}'  error  he,  might  have  unwillingly  com- 
mitted. 

Then  the  Minister  turned  to  me,  and  said : — 

"  Now,  Heco,  please  ask  the  Governor  why 
he  does  not  allow  you  your  monthly  exchange,  al- 
though you  hold  a  full  commission  from  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  U.  S." 

I  said  I  did  not  wish  to  bring  this  matter  up, 
inasmuch  as  according  to  the  Minister's  own  opinion 
openly  and  distinctly  expressed  a  few  months  back, 
I  had  no  right  whatsoever  to  any  such  allowance. 

"  Never  mind  that,"  said  the  Minister  testily. 
"  Just  you  translate  what  I  say." 

At  this  point  the  Governor  asked  what  we 
were  arguing  about,  and  I  told  him. 


332  THE   NARRATIVE 


"  About  your  exchange !"  said  the  Governor, 
"  Why,  you  have  never  applied  for  it.  You  have 
been  of  the  utmost  service  to  us  as  an  interpreter 
also,  and  we  should  be  only  too  happy  to  grant 
you  your  allowance.  Please  send  in  your  applica- 
tion without  delay." 

I  translated  this  to  the  Minister,  and  the  Con- 
sul asked  me  to  send  in  my  application  at  once. 
To  this  I  demurred.  Then  the  Consul  drew  up  the 
document  and  asked  me  to  sign  .it.  Then  to  avoid 
any  further  argument  I  put  my  name  to  it.  I 
obtained  $500  as  back  exchange,  and  that  was  all 
I  got  during  my  tenure  of  office. 

Just  at  this  point  a  Custom  House  officer  came 
in  great  haste  asking  to  see  the  Governor.  He 
reported  that  two  American  missionaries  had  con- 
veyed their  furniture  to  the  jetty  atod  were  on  the 
point  of  crossing  over  to  KanagaWfc.  He  wished 
to  know  if  they  were  to  be  allowed  to  proceed. 

The  Governor  said  that  on  no  account  were  they 
to  be  permitted  to  do  so  in  these  dangerous  times, 
and  told  the  officer  to  go  off  and  stop  them  at  once. 
The  officer  replied  that  lie  and  his  colleague  had 
done  all  they  could  to  do  so,  but  that  they  had 
been  met  with  the  answer  that  the  'time  for  which 
the  authorities  had  asked  the  missionaries  to  re- 
move and  stay  in  Yokohama  had  expired,  and  that 
they  now  wished  to  get  back  to  their  old  residence 


OF   A   JAPANESE. 


at  Kanagawa.  The  Governor  told  him  to  go  and 
detain  them  till  he  heard  from  him,  and  then  he 
turned  to  me,  and  asked  -me  to  request  the  Consul 
to  interpose,  inasmuch  as  he  knew  several  ronin 
were  wandering  about  in  'Kanagawa  on  the  outlook 
for  a  chance  of  creating  trouble  and  that  residence 
there  at  the  present  moment  was  fraught  with  infinite 
danger.  The  Consul  said  that  no  doubt  they  wish- 
ed to  return  to  Kanagawa,  inasmuch  as  Yokohama 
was  at  once  inconvenient  for  their  work  and  very 
expensive.  The  Governor  then  said  he  would 
make  these  gentlemen  a  further  allowance  for  ex1- 
change  similar  to  the  one  he  had  already  accorded 
them,  if  the  Consul  would  detain  them  for  the  term 
of  60  days  more.  So  the  Consul  sent  a  note  to 
them  at  the  jetty  and  stopped  them  from  crossing. 

Jiily  ntJi.  The  American  Minister  received 
a  dispatch  from  Shanghai,  to  the  effect  that 
the  steamer  Pembroke  while  at  anchor  in  the 
Straits  of  Shimonoseki.  on  her  way  through  the 
Inland  Sea  from  Yokohama  to  Nagasaki  and 
Slianghai,  had  been  fired  upon  by  some  unknown. 
Japanese  vessel.  The  case  was  reported  to  the 
U.  S.  Minister  by  the  owner  of  the  steamer  through 
the  U.  S.  Consul  at  Shanghai.  He  requested 
the  Minister  to  make  complaint  and  to  demand 
damages  from  the  native  Government. 

In  tile  afternoon  the  Minister  sent  to  the  Go- 


334  THE   NARRATIVE 


vernor  and  asked  him  to  come  to  the  Consulate; 
He  complied  with  the  request  and  came,  and  found 
himself  confronted  with  the  U.  S.  Minister,  the 
Consul  and  Commander  McDougal.  I  acted  as 
interpreter.  The  Minister  began  by  asking  the 
Governor,  whether  he  had  heard  about  the  Ameri- 
can steamer  Pembroke  having  been  fired  into  by 
some  Japanese  vessel  in  the  Inland  Sea.  And  if 
so,  what  was  that  vessel  and  to  whom  did  she 
belong  ? 

The  Governor  replied  that  he  had  heard  of 
the  occurrence,  and  believed  it  to  be  true,  and  that 
he  thought  the  vessel  which  had  made  the  attack 
belonged  to  Choshiu. 

"  By  whose  authority  did  the  Choshiu  men  fire 
on  the  Pembroke^"  the  Minister  next  demanded. 
"'Is  the  Shogun's  Government  cognisant  of  the  fact, 
and  if  so  what  steps  have  been  taken  ?  Or  did  the 
Shogun's' Government  itself  order  the  attack?" 

To  these  interrogatories  the  Governor  replied 
that  Choshiu  had  fired  on  his  own  responsibility, 
that  the  Shogun's  Government  had  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  matter  whatsoever,  but  that  the  author- 
ities at  Yedo,  being  the  Government  of  the  country, 
were  already  making  inquiries  into  the  case  and 
that  they  would  certainly  endeavour  to  arrest  and 
punish  the  guilty  party  who  had  thus  fired  on  a 
vessel  belonging  to  a  friendly  nation.  But  that  in- 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  335 


asmuch  as  the  news  had  only  just  reached  Yedo, 
and  since  die  authorities  were  fully  occupied  with 
the  English  case -then  pending,  the  Government 
had  had  ho  time  as  yet  to  consider  what  steps 
would  be  taken  to  deal  with  Choshiu. 

Then  the  Minister  asked  whether,  since  the 
Choshiu  men  had  acted  on  their  own  responsibility 
without  orders  from  any  other  party,  the  Shogun's 
Government  would  have  any  objection  to  his  send- 
ing an  American  war-ship  to  punish  Choshiu  for  the 
outrage. 

The  Governor  said  this  could  not  be  thought 
of;  he  could  not  allow  any  foreign  vessel  to  go  and 
chastise  Choshiu  directly,  for  if  such  a  thing  were 
permitted  his  own  Government  would  be  set  at 
naught.  The  Government  would  investigate  the 
matter  as  soon  as  they  possibly  could  dp  so,  and 
should  it  be  found  that  Choshiu  had  no  good  cause 
for  his  action,  he  would  certainly  meet  \vith  con- 
dign punishment  according  to  the  Japanese  law. 
He  (the  Governor)  therefore  requested  the  Min- 
ister not  to  send  any  man-of-war,  but  to  wait 
patiently  until  he  heard  from  the  Government  at 
Yedo. 

This  ended  the  conference  and  the-  Governor 
took  his  departure.  After  die  Governor  had  gone, 
the  Minister,  the  Consul  and  Captain  McDougal 
held  a  consultation.  And  the  result  of  it  was  diat 


336  THE    NARRATIVE 


the  Minister  thought  it  best  to  send  the  Wyoming1 
down  to  capture  the  vessel  and  to  bring  her  as 
prize-of-war  to  Yokohama,  if  the  Captain  was  will- 
ing to  go.  And  if  so,  the  Minister  would  go  on 
the  vessel  for  a  trip.  Captain  McDougal  at  once 
said  he  had  no  objection  whatsoever.  And  they 
immediately  decided  to  leave  Yokohama  on  the 
1 3th.  Then  the  Minister  turned  to  me  and  told 
me  that  he  wished  me  to  accompany  him.  Thus 
the  whole  matter  was  arranged. 

At  eleven  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  1 2th 
I  received  the  following  order  from  the  Consul, 
written  on  a  small  piece  of  paper. 

"Mr.  Heco,  you  will  be  on  board  the  Wyom- 
ing at  4  o'clock  sharp  without  fail.  Wishing  you 
a  pleasant  voyage. 

Your  truly, 
(Signed.)         E.  S.  F — >-, 

U.  S.  Consul 
July  1 2th,  10  o'clock  p.m." 

July  I3th.  I  got  up  early  in  order  to  comply 
with  the  Consul's  order,  and  not  to  disappoint  the 
Minister,  got  on  board  a  few  minutes  after  4  a.m. 
expecting  to  find  the  Minister  already  there.  But 
he  was  not  there. 

The  Wyoming  had  steam  up  and  was  ready  to 
get  under  weigh.  Captain  McDougal  asked  me 
whether  I  had  seen  the  Minister  since  the  con- 


OF   A   JAPANESE;  337 


ference  of  the  day  before.  I  said  I  had  not,  but 
that  I  had  received  the  Consul's  order  at  n  p.m. 
the  previous  night,  and  had  come  off,  thinking  that 
he  was  already  on  board.  Then  the  Captain  said 

"  Well,  he  must  be  coming,  since  he  agreed 
that  he  would ! " 

At  5.30  a,m.  E.  S.  Benson  came  off,  saying 
that  he  had  heard  that  the  Wyoming  was  going 
down  the  Inland  Sea  on  business  and  that  he  had 
an  invitation  from  one  of  the  ward-room  officers  to 
join  us  for  the  trip.  Meanwhile  the  Captain  kept 
looking  anxiously  through  the  glass  shore-wards, 
but  never  a  sign  of  the  coming  of  the  Minister  did 
he  see.  So  at  5  m.  past  6  o'clock  we  hove  up 
anchor  and  steamed  slowly  out  of  the  harbour  of 
Yokohama.  The  Captain  invited  me  to  his  cabin 
and  placed  me  in.  the  spare  room,  since  the  Minister 
had  not  come. 

July  i ^th.  After  breakfast,  the  Captain,  the 
Doctor  and  myself  were  sitting  in  the  Captain's 
smoking-room  when  the  Captain  asked  my  opinion 
about  the  "  situation "  and  of  the  feeling  of  the 
people  and  the  Daindo  towards  foreign  nations. 

I  told  him  that  so  far  as  I  heard  and  knew  the 
feelings  of  the  Daimio  towards  foreign  nations  were 
divided,  some  being  favourably  disposed  towards 
them,  others  being  neutral,  and  some  hostile. 
Those  who  were  either  actually  or  feignedly  hostile 


333  THE   NARRATIVE 


were  strong,  and  were  bent  upon  driving  foreigners 
from  the  country  at  any  cost.  An  order  to  this 
effect  had  been  given  by  the  Mikado  to  five  of 
them,  of  whom  Choshiu  was  one. 

He  then  asked  me  whether  I  thought  the  Cho- 
shiu men  would  fire  on  an  American  man-of-war. 
I  said  tliat  a  merchant  man  or  a  man-of-war  would 
make  no  difference  to  them. 

"Then  do  you  think  we  ought  to  prepare  for 
an  attack?"  asked  the  Captain. 

''Yes,  decidedly  so."  I  answered.  "It  is 
highly  advisible  to  make  all  the  preparations  and  to 
take  all  the  precautions  necessary  in  a  case  of 
emergency." 

After  this  conversation  the  Captain  ordered 
his  officers  and  men  to  prepare  for  action.  The 
guns  were  shotted,  and  muskets  and  revolvers 
loaded  and  made  ready  for  immediate  use.  At  3 
p.m.  we  entered  the  Bungo  Channel  and  passed 
the  island  of  Takanaba.  At  5  p.m.  we  came  to 
anchor  at  Himeshima  in  the  Suwo  Nada  close  to 
the  Bungo  side. 

July  1 6th.  The  weather  was  clear  with  not 
a  cloud  to  be  seen  in  the  whole  sky.  About  5  a.m. 
we  weighed  anchor  and  steamed  slowly  onward  in 
search  of  the  vessel  that  had  fired  on  the  Pembroke. 
We  zig-zagged  from  one  side  of  the  Suwo  Nada  to 
the  other  hoping  to  meet  her,  but  without  success. 


OK   A   JAPANESE.  339 


So  at  length  we  changed  our  course  from  the  Bun- 
go  to  the  Suwo  side,  and  from  there  we  made  to- 
wards Shimonoseki.  In  case  we  failed  to  find  the 
vessel,  we  meant  to  proceed  to  Hagi,  the  old  Capital 
of  Choshiu. 

By  nine  o'clock  the  sun  in  a  cloudless  sky  liad 
waxed  scorching.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind; 
the  sea  smooth  as  a  tank  of  oil  \yith  not  a  ripple 
on  its  surface  save  that  made  by  our  own  motion 
as  we  churned  onwards.  The  deck  was  strewn 
with  fire-arms  and  cutlasses  ready  for  use  at  a 
moment's,  notice.  About  this  time  the  Captain 
ordered  the  men  to  haul  in  the  big  guns  and  to 
cover  up  the  ports  with  tarpaulin,  so  as  to  make  us 
look  like  a  merchant-man.  About  10  p.m.  we  were 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Eastern  entrance  of  the 
Straits  of  Shimonoseki.  The  Lieutenant  in  the  fore 
castle  called  out  tliat  he  sighted  two  square-rigged 
vessels  and  a  steamer  at  anchor  close  in  to  the  town. 

"All  right,  Sir,"  said  the  Captain.  "We  will 
steer  right  in  between  them  and  take  the  steamer." 

When  we  heard  this,  ever}'  bod)-  on  board,  I 
noticed,  became  excited  and  some  of  die  men  be- 
came quite  pale.  For  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
take  an  enemy's  vessel  without  a  hand-to-liand 
fight,  and  many  of  the  crew  I  was  told  had  never 
been  under  fire. 

While  Dr.  Dambey,  Mr.  Benson  and  I  were 


34-O  THE    NARRATIVE 


standing  on  the  quarter-deck  the  report  of  a  big 
gun  suddenly  thundered  in  our  ears.  On  looking 
up  we  saw  smoke  issuing  from  the  wooded  bluff  on 
the  mainland  on  our  right  as  we  were  bearing  down 
towards  Shimonoseki.  I  at  once  hurried  to  the 
Captain  on  the  bridge  and  told  him  that  I  fancied 
that  this  gun  was  a  signal  for  battle.  And  on  my 
way  Ijack  to  the  quarter-deck  a  second  report  rang 
out  from  a  second 'battery,  further  within  the  Straits. 
And  in  a  few  more  seconds,  yet  another  broke  the 
silence  and  rolled  rumbling  about  along  the  hill- 
sides. This  was  from  the  innermost  battery  of 
all  on  a  lofty  height  right  behind  the  town. 
A  few  seconds  later,  a  tongue  of  fire  leapt  from 
the  place  where  the  first  shot  had  been  fired,  and 
before  the  smoke  had  begun  to  float  upwards  I 
heard  a  hurtling  screech,  and  a  column  of  water 
spurted  up  and  fell  back  with  a  splash  just  about 
twenty  feet  astern  of  where  we  were  standing  talk- 
ing on  the  quarter-deck.  The  gunners  on  shore 
clearly  meant  business. 

At  the  first  fire  Captain  McDougal  ordered 
the  quartermaster  to  hoist  the  American  flag  at  the 
peak,  so  that  those  on  shore  irnght  be  in  no  doubt 
as(to  who  we  were.  But  the' people  on  shore  paid 
but  scant  respect  to  our  colours ;  their  fire  only 
grew  hotter.  So  the  Captain  gave  the  order 
"Make  ready  for  action  ( 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  34! 

The  big  64.  pounder  guns  were  at  once  run 
out,  and  opened  upon  the  batteries  on  shore.  At 
precisely  10.50  a.m.  we  ran  right  in  between  the 
three  Choshiu  vessels,  and  treated  them  to  a  salute 
from  our  two  Dahlgren  guns.  After  delivering\our 
broadside  we  steamed  slowly  out  and  crossing  the 
bow  of  the  steamer  Lcmcefield,  we  workecHowards 
the  channel  pounding  away  at  the  enemy  all  the 
while.  Meanwhile  the  enemy  kept  up  an  unflag- 
ging fire  from  ships  and  batteries  alike.  But  their 
aim  was  wild ;  we  noticed  that  the  guns  on  shore 
were  all  fired  and  trained  upon  the  channel,  and 
we  passed  so  close  under  them  that  their  shot 
mostly  went  ten  or  fifteen  feet  overhead.  But  it 
was  not  at  all  nice  or  comfortable  to  hear  them 
whizzing  and  screaming  aloft  among  our  rigging. 
And  the  worst  of  it  all  was  that  there  was  no  chance 
of  falling  back  to  the  rear,  for  in  a  fight  on  ship- 
board there  is  no  such  convenient  thing  as  the  rear 
to  fall  back  to. 

The  steamer  seemed  to  have  some  dignitaries 
on  board,  as  we  saw  that  she  had  purple  awnings 
with  the  Prince  s  crest.  As  soon  as  we  crossed 
the  LancejieldtS  bows  she  slipped  her  cable  and 
essayed  to  run  for  refuge  into  the.  inner  harbour. 
At  this  instant  the  Captain  called  out  to  die  gunner 
at  the  1 1  inch  Dahlgren  to  fire.  But  die  gunner 
seemed  to  pay  no  attention  until  the  Captain  had 


342  THE   NARRATIVE 


given  the  order  for  the'  third  or  fourth  time.  At 
last  he  did  as  he  was  told,  and  "Bang"  went  the 
gun  with  an  ear-splitting  crash.  And  as  the  smoke 
of  the  discharge  drifted  aside  we  saw  a  great  volume 
of  smoke  and  steam  hissing  and  pouring  from  the 
Lancefield' s  deck,  and  at  the  same  time  she  slewed 
slowly  round  and  heeled  over  on  one  side,  and  in  a 
minute  or  two  down  she  went  into  the  waters. 
When  we  saw  the  steam  pouring  out  of  her,  our 
tars  gave  three  rousing  cheers,  fancying  that  the 
1 1  inch  shell  had  burst  within  her  And  they  hear- 
tened up  wonderfully  and  went  into*  the  fight  with 
all  their  soul  and  with  all  their  strength  and  with 
all  their  mind.  This  lucky  shot  struck  just  at  the 
right  moment,  for  by  this  time  several  of  our  men 
had  been  laid  low  or  disabled  by  shot  and  flying 
bolts  and  splinters. 

The  reason  why  the  Captain  of  the  gun  did 
not  let  loose  at  the  first  word  of  command  was  that 
he  was  taking  aim  at  the  exact  water-line.  And 
when  he  did  fire  he  hit  the  spot  to  a  hair's-breadth. 
He  finished  the  vessel  by  that  single  well-directed 
shot.  It  tore  through  one  side  of  the  hull,  ripped 
through  the  boilers,  out  at  the  other  side,  and 
drove  ashore  and  lodged  there  without  ever  burst- 
ing. This  I  learned  from  the  Choshiu  officers 
aftenvards. 

When  we  £jot  out  into  the  channel,  we  touched 


OF  A  JAPANESE.  343 


on  a  sunken  rock,  bujt  by  backing,  we  got  off 
scatheless.  While  we  were  between  these  three 
vessels,  we  stopped  the  engines,  and  gave  them 
broadside  upon  broadside.  And  so  little  did  they 
like  the  fere  we  served  up  for  them,  that  we 
noticed  many  of  their  crews  jumping  overboard  to 
escape  by  swimming.  * 

Thus  we  fought  6  batteries,  a  barque,  a  brig 
and  a  steamer.  We  silenced  all  the  batteries,  and 
as  for  the  brig  and  the  steamer  we  sank  them. 
And  all  this  was  done  in  a  little  more  than  one 
short  hour.  We  ceased  firing  at  20  m.  after 
12  p.m. 

From  our  observation  it  appeared  that  all  the 
guns  were  trained  on  the  channel,  and  placed  so  as 
to  rake  the  course  usually  taken  by  foreign  vessels 
in  passing  the  Straits.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
Captain's  clever  manoeuvre  of  running  right-close 
inshore  under  their  batteries,  every  shot  they  fired 
would  have  hulled  us.  But  as  it  was  they  all 
screeched  harmlessly  over  us.  The  only  punish- 
ment »re  received  we  got  from  the  vessels. 

During  the  engagement  we  fired  53  shot  and 
shell  in  all,  with  the  result  I  have  above  mentioned. 
The  Choshiu  men  discharged  1 30  rounds  in  all, 
of  which  22  did  us  actual  damage.  These  hit  our 
rigging,  smoke-stack  and  hull,  and  killed  5  and 
wounded  7  of  our  men. 


344  THE   NARRATIVE 


After  we  were  fairly  out  of  danger,  the  crew 
went  to  dinner,  and  the  vessel  steamed  slowly  back 
to  Himeshima  where  we  had  spent  the  previous 
night.  Here  our  Captain  meant  to  bury  our  dead 
on  shore.  Accordingly  all  due  prepartions  were 
made,  and  boats  were  lowered  and  I  was  requested 
to  accompany  the  officer  in  charge  to  interpret. 
But  just  then  we  observed  a  dense  and  dark  crowd 
of  natives  mustering  on  the  beach,  and  the  Captain 
deemed  it  best  not  to  take  the  dead  ashore,  inas- 
much as  this  muster  of  the  natives  might  portend 
a  collision  with  the  funeral  party.  Wherefore  he 
countermanded  the  order. 

Then  he  ordered  the  officers  to  lower  a  boat 
and  examine  the  hull  of  the  vessel.  They  dug  out 
one  whole  shot  from  under  the  bulwark,  and  the 
fragment  of  one  from  under  the  bowsprit  and 
several  others  fragments  from  other  places. 

About  5  h.  30  p.m.  the  fine  weather  suddenly 
gave  place  to  a  downpour  of  rain,  and  it  continued 
to  lash  us  unsparingly  until  3  o'clock  next  morning. 
All  had  retired  except  the  watch  when  about  9  h. 
30  m.  p.m.  the  quarter-master  reported  to  the  Cap- 
tain that  he  had  heard  a  signal  gun  in  the  distance 
and  that  several  lights  appeared  ahead  approaching 
us.  This  occasioned  a  good  deal  of  alarm  in  the  wild 
and  rainy  night.  We  beat  to  quarters  and  all  stood 
ready  for  an  emergency.  But  it  turned  out  to  be 


OF   A   JAPANESE.  345 


a  groundless  alarm,  for  we  soon  found  that  the 
lights  were  merely  junk  lights  while  nothing  more 
was  heard  of  the  signal  gun.  So  in  about  half  an- 
hour  we  all  turned  in  again. 

July  iytJ>..  At  5  a.m.  we  weighed  anchor  and 
steamed  out  to  sea  to  bury  our  dead.  We  made 
all  preparation  and  attached  weights  to  the  dead 
bodies,  and  at  9  h.  30  a.m.  just  as  we  were  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Bungo  Channel,  the  engines  were 
stopped,  the  crew  were  mustered,  and  the  bodies 
committed  to  the  deep.  A  few  minutes  after  the 
ceremony  the  doctor  reported  that  one  of  the 
.wounded  was  groaning  in  sore  pain,  and  that  he 
had  but  a  few  hours  to  live. 

July  iSth.  The  doctor  and  the  Captain  con- 
sulted about  another  of  the  wounded.  He  had 
been  the  first  man  struck  in  the  fight ;  his  forearm 
being  badly  lacerated  by  a  splinter.  It  was  now 
resolved  to  amputate  it.  At  10  a.m.  the  operation 
was  performed,  and  the  man's  pain  so  sensibly 
abated  that  his  groaning  ceased. 
.  Jidy  2otk.  Overnight  we  came  to  anchor  in 
Yokohama  harbour  Next  morning  the  shore 
people  crowded  on  board  to  hear  the  news.  From 
them  we  also  learned  that  the  Dutch  man-of-war 
Medusa  from  Nagasaki  had  come  through  the 
Straits  and  had  met  with  a  hard  time  of  it  off  Shimo- 
noseki.  The  Choshiu  men  had  shelled  her,  killing 


346  THE   NARRATIVE 


four  of  her  people  and  wounding  sixteen  more. 
Also  that  the  French  despatch  boat  the  Kien-chang, 
from  Yokohama  to  Shanghai,  had  been  fired  on  in 
the  Straits  and  had  been  well-nigh  disabled.  She 
had  run  out  the  same  way  as  the  Pembroke  had 
done.  When  this  news  came  to  the  hearing  of  the 
French  authorities  they  sent  down  two  boats  to 
take  revenge  upon  Choshiu. 

After  breakfast  I  bade  adieu  to  Capt.  McDou- 
gal  and  went  ashore  and  reported  myself  to  the 
Consul.  I  asked  him  why  the  Minister  had  not 
come,  saying  that  Capt.  McDougal  had  waited  for 
him  for  two  hours.  The  Consul  replied  with  a 
smile  that  the  Minister  had  had  a  severe  attack  of 
diarrhoea .  overnight. 

'  July  24th.  The  French  warships  got  back 
from  the  Inland  Sea  and  reported  that  they  had 
had  severe  fighting  at  Shimonoseki.  They  claimed 
a  victory  and  brought  lots  of  trophies  in  the  way  of 
muskets,  flags,  bows  and  arrows,  swords  and  ar- 
mour. But  after  investigation  it  appeared  that  it 
was  but  few  of  the  above  articles  they  had  brought, 
while  they  had  their  smoke-stack  smashed,  and  had 
lost  a  mast,  with  several  men  killed  and  wounded. 


ERRATA. 


Page.  Line. 

3 —  7.  For  "  daring  "  read  "  faring." 

12—26.  For  "  Strait  Ondo  "  read  "  Straits  of  Ondo." 

16 —  3.  Insert  "  the  "  before  "  Province." 

18—15.  For  "  80"  read  "  160 ; "  and  for  "  200  "  read  "  400." 

26 —       For  " Eiriki-maru "  read  " Enki-maru" 

28 — Last  line.   After  "  temple  "  insert  "  Kwannon  "  and  omit  the 
next  sentence. 

40—22.  For  "clean"  read  "clear."  * 

48 — 11.  Bead  "mackerel,  sdwara,  and  others." 
118 —  5.  Insert  "  The  "  before  "  St.  Mary."    • 
139—13.  For  "  9  p.m."  read  "  6  p.m." 
164 —  8.  For  "give0  read  "gave." 
166—  6.  Omit  "St.  John." 
176—12.  For  "  Mani "  read  "  Maui." 
176—22.  Hawaiian. 
184—26.  For  "  22rid  "  read  "  6th." 

191 —  9.  For  "  Dow  "  read  "  Dorr." 

192 —  1.  Cum-sing-mun. 

200—26.  For  "  full  dress  "  read  "  the  usUal  official  dress." 

206—  2.  Foi\"  any  "  read  "  an." 

216—17.  For  "  in  "  readv"  on." 

217 —  9.  For  "Jardine  and  Matheson"  read  "  Jardine,  Mathe- 

sdn  <&  Co." 

224—  8.  After  " indicated '' insert  "thus  (I)." 
237—26.  For  "  Kanriu ''  read  "  Kanrin." 
277—14.  For  "Howis"  read  "HABBIS." 
282-—  8.  For  "  S,ummer  "  read  "  Semmes." 
289—  3.  Before  "be"  insert  "to." 
289—18.  For  "  Weller  "  read  "  Welles." 
297—  7.  Insert  "  F."  before  "  Seward." 
303—  6.  For  "  Brooke  "  read  "  Brooks." 
303 —  8.  Insert  "in"  before  "number." 
310—  4.  Delete  "also'.'  before  "entitled." 

316—  9.  For  "  S "  read  "  P ." 

315 — 28.  For  "  great "  read  "  guest." 

8j6 —  1.  For  "  me  "  read  "  the." 

325 — 28.  After  "  sundown  "  jnsert  "  of  the  following  day." 

336—18.  Fof  "E.  S.  F "  read  "G.  S.  F ,." 


ERRATA 


Page.    Line. 

1 2 — 2  5 :  Straits  of  Ondo. 

1 8—i  5  :  For  "  80  "  read  "  1 60  "  and  for  "  200  " 
read  "400." 

28 — last  line.     Omit  sentence  at  bottom  and  at 
top  ol  p.  30. 

48 — 1 1 :  Read  mackerel,  sawara,  and  others. 

1 1 3 — 5 ;  The  St.  Mary. 

1 54 — 8 :  Gave, 

1 76 — 1 2  :  Maui. 

1 76 — 2  2 :  Hawaiian. 

184 — 24:  For  i2\hread  2%\h. 

191 — 9 :  For  Dow  read  Dorr. 

1 9  2  Cum-sing-mun. 

200  For  full  read  "  the  usual  official." 

2 i  <> — 1 7  :  For  in  read  on. 

2 37 — 2 5  :  F°r  " Kanriu*  read  " Kanrin." 

277^-14:  For  "Howis"  read  "HARRIS." 

282 — 8:  For  "Summer"  read  "Semmes." 

_28:  For  "great"  read  "guest." 


Published    by 

American- Japanese  Publishing  Association 

1741  Sutter  St.,  San  Francisco,  California, 

U.    S.    A. 

Printed    by 

Kudo  Printing  Co.,  Ltd., 

No.  97   1-Chome  Kasiwagi,  Sinjuku-ku, 

Tokyo,    Japan. 


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